I. The Princess Bride When I was a child I watched this movie religiously, no joke I was seriously madly in love with everything about this film. The genre is of course an adventure story with an underdog who rises to greatness as well as a romantic love interest. What I enjoyed about this film the most was the choice in casting: it was honestly a diverse group. One of the villains was actually Andre The Giant (I don't know if you watch wresting but he's a pretty humongous actor) and he fit the role perfectly as the muscly side-kick who isn't that bright. His character made the audience more interested in not only the hero's story, but as well as the perspectives of all the other side characters. It's hard to achieve an appreciation for minor characters in film.
I love comedies and of all the the types of humor out there in this world of film: I love none more than the comedy than silent comedies. Now I didn't want to include Charlie Chaplin because I never grew up watching his short films; instead I watched something rather similar and it was the working of Rowan Atkinson (who you all know as Mr. Bean.) I love this movie because for the very first 20 minutes of the film there is no dialogue coming from Bean, instead he uses his body language and clumsy personality to land himself in all sorts of trouble. This is one of my favorite protagonists because his character is so well defined by not only his actions, but in the realistic touching moments that reveal family problems and problems audiences can relate to. The best kind of movie, is one that people can relate to.
It was about 30 some years ago when this movie came out, and Spielberg introduced this new concept of an action hero (well remixed the idea). This hero wore a brown hat, a large whip, and was an explorer who yearned for discovery. What I loved most about the film was all the historical significance scattered throughout the story. Take for example the scene with Indiana being assigned the task of finding the ark; there was so much research and studies done prior to the film. The director needed to understand biblical stories, conspiracies, locations, as well as be able to shoot in these remote and often hostile environments. However, thank early film innovations for set design because Indiana Jones was able to capture the theme of exploring new worlds... somewhere on a set in Hollywood.
(click here for the best musical fight scene ever)
This movie definitely brought me into the world of a science fiction. This movie is one of my all time favorites because of the amazing cast selection, the stunning cgi animation of the time, as well as hints of comic relief layered within. My favorite scene in the movie was the opera scene juxtaposed with Lilu fighting the evil space bounty hunters. The music is so well times with the fighting, and the similar choreography between the two love interests. Now, the cinematography was amazing in terms of beautiful master shots and in order to match this theme of a bright neon utopia: it needed high key lighting. Everything about this film was amazing (except the ending which was cornnnnyyy) and I highly recommend this.
What's so great about this movie is that it relates to every age audience in the world; and as biased as it seems children love the movie as a fictional account of a friendly beast while teens and adults can come to appreciate hidden themes of family, friendship, and values. This was one of Miyazaki's breakthrough films (not including his earlier works from the 90's) as it broke the international border and revealed this hidden culture of animated films. Totoro encompasses all the hard work of a normal film, with the added bonus of animating every single frame. The music itself is amazing... it brings in Oriental themed instruments and sort of gives the film this mystical adventurous setting.
Kim i must say I love your choice in films. Every single one (except maybe mr bean movies, personally im a Johnny English man myself) is a wonderful and well made film. I loved teh Princess Bride and since Im a huge fan of fatnasy, I wished I could have watched it as a child so I could feel nostalgia today. ;( Anyway! Indiana Jones was shot in Africa (Tunisia actually where Tatooine was filmed) and I believe Speilberg ate only canned food and bottled water from the United States because the food was so... well suffice to say The scene where Indy shoot the swordsman? Its because he was sick with dysentery or something and didn't want to do the scene.
ReplyDeleteI love love Miyazaki and wish to someday go Miyazaki Land.
What I love about My Neighbor Totoro (and every other anime) is the fact that they can create such a strong response from the audience, regardless of it being animated. Like, Rainbow: Nisha Rokubou No Shichinin was just such an enthralling series because of its beautiful animation and its dramatic and tragic storyline. I think it's wonderful how you included My Neighbor Totoro because it really is a film for all ages and something that I've always been a big fan of. Plus soundtrack was absolutely spectacular. Loved it.
ReplyDeleteHonestly, I think I've only watched one or two of these films, but I can see that you put a lot of thought into what your favorites were. I've actually really wanted to watch Totoro and the Fifth Element and I love that they're on the list. Also, I absolutely adore the Princess Bride, it's a nice choice. You also put a lot of film language into the post, which is a nice touch.
ReplyDeleteFirst off, I really like the way you structured your blog post; it is concise and to the point. Next, even though I have only seen one and a half of these films, you did an excellent job of making me want to see the rest. You not only explained what they were about, but also properly conveyed why these films deserve to be on a top 5 list. In particular, I will likely take your suggestion and watch "My Neighbor Totoro" tonight.
ReplyDeleteKimberly, you have great choices in your top five list. Like always, I enjoy reading your posts to see what you have to say about the different types of films out there that range from all kinds of genres. My Neighbor Totoro is also one of my favorite films and one of those that I wouldn’t mind watching here and there every once in a while. I enjoyed it just as much as when I was a youngin’. I liked how you expressed all the different elements that make this film such a success for all ages from kids to adults. It was great how you mentioned that this film specifically was Miyazaki’s breakthrough film due to how it broke the international border and revealed this hidden culture of animated films. Overall, excellent job Kimmy.
ReplyDeleteKim you put two of my favorite movies in your blog!Indiana Jones and the Fifth Element!I almost put 5th Element into my top five as well! However you did a fantastic job in describing this stunning film. I liked how mentioned your favorite part of the film which was the constant switching scenes of the opera singer and Lilu. This is such an intense time for the audience, it's "action pact" with Lilu and yet beautiful at the same time with the alien opera singer. The contrast works perfectly to compliment each other's scene. Furthermore you mentioned some background information about Indian Jones and pointed out certain scenes that took research in order to film. I love how you mentioned this because sometimes learning about the development of a film will allow us to appreciate it even more and have an even fonder feeling towards the film. Lastly I have never seen the movie My Neighbor Totoro, but after reading your comments on it I really should. Im glad you put in a video to further describe the film for those who haven't seen it, thanks! Good work!
ReplyDeleteYou did an excellent job at incorporating why you chose these films as your 'Top 5.' You talked about a lot of things ranging from character design to cinematography. I even like how you added a link to the great fighting scene you mentioned in The Fifth Element. From looking at your list, though it's hard for me to suggest anything you might consider watching, considering you have such wide tastes. In particular, I'd like to talk about your choice of Totoro. It would have been interesting to go into the historical background of the time it was written, because it has been believed to be based around the Japanese god of death, "Shinigami" and a real life occurrence known as the "Sayama incident" You could read more about it here.
ReplyDeletehttp://kotaku.com/5926248/totoro-isnt-all-cute-for-some-hes-the-god-of-death
Overall, great blog post. Very detailed, nice job.