Category Archives: Sci Fi / Fantasy Reviews

Jan 26 2012

Paprika

Viewed – 25 January 2012  Blu-ray

I had previously only been aware of Japanese animation guru Satoshi Kon after seeing the brilliant Perfect Blue some years ago, and on hearing of his  passing in 2010 from pancreatic cancer, I always promised myself I would seek out anything else he had made.  Paprika, adapted from the novel by Yasutaka Tsutsui, follows the story of an experimental device that enables therapists to enter the dreams of their patients in order to help them.  When the device is stolen, chaos erupts as reality and the world of the dream collide.

This is a startlingly visual experience, awash with colour and imagination.  Kon’s movie assaults the senses and really blew my mind.  It plays with your perception of what is real and what isn’t, much like he did in Perfect Blue, but this time its much more avant garde and limitless, showing a director at the top of his game.  Sad it was to be his last feature.  Yet Satoshi Kon has left the world on a glorious high note, delivering one of the most beautiful and imaginative animated movies I have ever seen.  The detail and wonder on display here, along with utterly freaky music and sound, is often quite breath-taking (the reoccurring image of the parade, the gloriously weird theme tune etc).

Ok, it’s quite hard to follow with the kaleidoscopic style and imagery at times overwhelming, but conventional story structure is not the big selling point here, more the look and ideas, with many visual references including classic Japanese TV show ‘Monkey’, and Disney’s Pinocchio.  Christopher Nolan has cited it as his inspiration for the similar Inception, and also in my opinion it has much in common with David Cronenberg’s Videodrome.

A unique, brain-melting event of a movie that I urge you to seek out immediately.

Verdict:  4 /5

Related articles
Jan 14 2012

Arrietty

Viewed – 13 January 2012  Blu-ray

I have to admit, I am a great admirer of the movies from acclaimed Japanese animation masters Studio Ghibli, with Spirited Away and Ponyo being two of my favourites.  This latest entry tells the tale of a tiny girl, who along with her mother and father, live under the floor boards of a huge house, unbeknownst to the humans occupying it.  At night they creep out to scavenge for supplies in order to survive … but it’s not stealing, they are Borrowers, as in the classic children’s books by Mary Norton.  Stepping into the shoes of recently retired studio head Hayao Miyzaki is Hiromasa Yonebayashi in his directing debut, and let’s just say, the studio is in good hands.

From the start, this is magical stuff.  The way the world of Arrietty and her family is captured, from their perspective is stunning, with as expected from Ghibli, wonderfully detailed animation and gorgeous art, making you feel like you are right there with them in a huge world.  The sound design is also exceptional and greatly adds to the atmosphere.  Arrietty’s story, that of a little girl who befriends a human boy suffering from a heart disease, is touching and well observed.  The voice casting is generally good, especially from The Lovely Bones’ Saoirse Ronan in the lead, although the boy proves less interesting, with a very bland, wooden performance … which does lessen the movie’s emotional impact.  The story also lacks the sort of peril you might expect, and it’s not all that exciting either.  Even when the house keeper makes an alarming discovery, and a rescue is set into motion – you never feel anyone is in particular danger.

Don’t get me wrong however, this is a movie that despite such gripes, is still filled with wonderful imagination and bags of personality, as well as beautiful animation and a very memorable theme tune.  I found the ending to be a bit of a let down, but overall … this still enchanted the hell out of me.

Verdict:  3.5 /5

Related articles
Dec 25 2011

Super 8

Viewed – 24 December 2011  Blu-ray

Current hot property J. J. Abrams (TVs LOST, Star Trek re-boot, Mission Impossible 3) is probably one of the most reliable director around at the moment, with obvious skill and cinematic knowledge going into everything he puts his name to.  Combine this with Producer Stephen Spielberg, and this one promises plenty.  Hyped as a throwback to eighties kids adventure movies like The Goonies and E.T. this offers up a cast of likable child actors and a small town setting that immediately feels familiar.

Set in 1979, a group of friends are making an amateur movie and witness a (very over the top) train crash during the filming of one scene.  Yet this was no freak accident and something not of this world was being transported onboard – and now its loose.  As the military step in to clean up the wreckage, the kids begin an investigation of their own whilst attempting to finish their movie.  This has a very nostalgic feel and captures the wonder of childhood innocence well, if not necessarily as timelessly as Spielberg has done in the likes of the aforementioned E.T. and even Close Encounters Of The Third Kind.  Something is missing, that much is evident, and although Abrams nails the performances and feel, the imitation of such material is probably done a touch too well, and at times feels very old-fashioned and dare I say it, clichéd.  Also what the movie is ultimately about is underwhelming, lacking that essential ’magic’.  The child actors were all good though, and special mention should go to  Joel Courtney in the lead and Elle Fanning as his sort-of love interest.

This works however as a fun adventure movie, and perhaps unlike me if you don’t have a good knowledge of the movies this is clearly copying, then on its own merits, it’s good entertainment.  It must be said however that Abrams movie is lacking its own identity, and although things come together quite heart-warming at the end … I was left disappointed.

Verdict:  3 /5

Dec 23 2011

John Carpenter’s The Thing

Viewed – 23 December 2011 Blu-ray

John Carpenter’s 1982 sci-fi horror remains one of the defining moments of eighties genre film making.  Kurt Russell, hot off Carpenter’s own Escape From New York plays MacReady, part of an American research team based in Antarctica who discover an alien life form that can simulate other creatures … including humans.  As tension builds and the creature wrecks havoc, soon everyone is looking at one another in order to find out who might be ‘the thing’.  This great premise is given no end of tension and believable atmosphere from Carpenter’s classy, slow-burning direction, and showcases how assured a talent he once was.

Aided by a foreboding score by legendary composer Ennio Morricone, this is a movie filled with unease and truly yukky practical effects from award-winning make-up guru Rob Bottin, that arguably have a greater impact than the recent CGI work in the remake/prequel.  In comparison to that movie, there is much similar here and I was impressed just how well both movies tie in with each other, yet with a more interesting range of characters, and a fair bit more tension throughout, along with an ending that leaves the audience with a few things to ponder – this is a better all round experience, but not streets ahead … meaning both movies complement one another nicely.

The Blu-ray has a very nice, clear image with plenty of detail.  The Arctic photography looks gorgeous in the opening moments, and the various effects scenes stand the test of time well.  Sound-wise there are a couple of problems such as Kurt Russell’s voice sounding like it’s been re-dubbed at times, which is weird to say the least, and brief moments of lip-sync issues.  Yet overall this is an acceptable audio/video presentation for a movie that’s nearly 30 years old.  Extras consist of a very entertaining commentary from Russell & Carpenter, as well as picture-in-picture talking heads that reveal plenty of info over the movie’s legacy.  We also get outtakes, galleries and also the documentary John Carpenter’s The Thing: Terror Takes Shape.  Very impressive.

Verdict: 4 /5

Related articles
Dec 15 2011

The Thing

Viewed – 14 December 2011  Cinema

When I first heard about this, I as many I presume, was up in arms.  John Carpenter’s 1982 classic was one of the defining horror movies of the 80s and along with assured acting chops from Kurt Russell and brilliantly freaky make-up effects from Rob Bottin, surely revisiting such a movie should be considered unthinkable?  Well in the current vogue of remaking everything (big breath … Halloween, A Nightmare On Elm Street, The Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Friday The 13th, Prom Night) it is clear to me Hollywood is feeling  a little dry on the new ideas-front.  Yet wait!  This one isn’t a remake … it’s a prequel.  So erm, that’s alright then, yeah?

Continue reading →