Ahh, the forgetful bliss of the vacating mind. Despite the fact that Squid totally sent out a reminder for this, I simply forgot to do it. Sooooo, let’s do it now.
Clue #1– According to the rumor mill of some entertainment news sources that I can’t remember at the moment, when this movie originally finished production and was tested with small audiences, it did so bad that the release date was pushed back almost a year to reshoot the ending and a few other critical scenes.
Clue #2– The main character of this movie went through grueling hours of costuming to assume the persona of this title character and felt that perfection was achieved when children were frightened by her.
Clue #3– This movie is not an original idea, but is perhaps an original take on the classic tale retold over centuries and in many cultures and other movies. There is actually a small part of the narration in this modern telling that was included “word-for-word” from the original U.S. film it was based on, and since the same movie house released both films it wasn’t a problem.
Do you think you know what my movie is? I am I still making this way too hard?
I can’t wait to see everyone else’s clues. I hope I guess some right. I’m so looking forward to the actual reviews that will be posted next week. I’m glad we decided to do this again.
Mock Squid Soup – Film Society
MOCK! and The Armchair Squid are proud to introduce Mock Squid Soup: A Film Society. Each month, on the second Friday, we shall host a bloghop devoted to movie reviews. We invite others to participate and post their reviews…Don’t be shy; come join the fun! 😀
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords
This review will consist of me asking myself 10 questions and answering them to the best of my ability, but first…
We are playing a game of Six Degrees of Separation where I connect the movie I reviewed this month to any other movie the film society has reviewed. I’m making a connection from Princess Mononoke to Bill & Ted’s Excellent Adventure in just 3 Degrees of Separation.
1. Jada Pinkett Smith is the voice of Toki.
2. She appeared in two of the Matrix Trilogy movies as Niobe, along with Keanu Reeves as Neo.
3. Lastly, Keanu Reeves is Theodore Logan, aka Ted- ½ of that Excellent Adventure…
And now my review. (New: see my viewing experience notes here.)
1. What is this film about?
Trying to type out all these names seems like work, so I’m just leaving them out. This story is about a young prince/warrior who defeats a demon and then ends up with its curse. He then has to go on a quest to find a cure. In doing so he encounters the source of the demon’s rage and the title of the movie. There is a village near the forest determined to progress the ways of humanity. In other words they are dead set on industry at the cost of the forest. This upsets the many spirit gods of the forest taking such forms as boars, wolves, apes, and a weird blue guy who later turns in to weird elk-like thing.
So the young warrior is stuck trying to figure out a way to keep the humans from destroying the forest and the spirit gods from eating or killing the humans. That’s where Princess Mononoke comes in. She has been adopted by the wolf spirit and hates humans, though she is one. The wolves are her family and the forest is her home, no matter how much the warrior tries to appeal to her humanity.
Needless to say, there is lots of bloodshed and no one really wins. Many spirit gods die and there is a sense of rebirth, but I don’t completely understand it all.
2. What did I think of the title, poster, and or trailer?
I couldn’t find a trailer, but I didn’t spend more than a few minutes looking for one. As for the poster, I love the Japanese poster, while the Disney (I’ll visit this in a bit) poster is only okay. I feel like maybe something has been lost in translation, but I say more about this later. The title seems lacking and slightly misleading. I was expecting more from Princess Mononoke and felt as if the warrior was snubbed.
3. What did I think of the main character(s) and how the actors performed them?
So here’s a bit of backstory, most for myself, but also for anyone else who may not know about this film. I, of course, discovered it here, with Mock Squid Soup, when angryparsnip reviewed it.
Originally a traditional Japanese Anime release, Disney obtained the rights through one of their subsidiaries and threw a bunch of many at it to have big name actors read the parts. Little promotion was done and the movie was not well received by American audiences, but it received critical acclaim and is one of the go to anime films for those getting into the genre, like me. The reason I know this last bit is because I did a survey of my geek friends.
I must say that the voice talent is good. They picked the right actors to voice these characters, especially Keith David. As soon as the narration started, his signature voice added intensity to the story.
4. What did I think of the direction and cinematography?
As I understand it, very little was alerted from the original script, but I still feel like there was something missing. It’s difficult to review the direction when I know the film has been dubbed, but I can say that the anime is some of the best I’ve seen, though I haven’t seen much. Here’s a quote from the notes I always take when watching a movie for review (I like to keep a record of thoughts that pop out of mind). “Individual anime characters don’t have a lot of distinguishing features, but all the important characters are still distinguishable.”
5. What did I think of the soundtrack and score?
One reason why I never really got into anime was the fact that the soundtracks always annoyed me. I know it’s part of this style of art, but I don’t like it. I was happy to hear that this was not the typical anime soundtrack. The music didn’t drive me crazy and there was only one short song that I can recall.
6. What did I like about the story as a whole?
I liked how the story was contradictory, but can’t be sure if that was intentional or not. The strongest characters in the story are all women except for the warrior, but the women all follow their leader blindly. Many of the characters want to kill the spirit gods/animals for killing loved one, but they are constantly killing the animals. I think this is supposed to show how humans don’t value non-human lives.
Also, I love the way they depict the demons.
7. What did I not like about the story?
This film was strange, but not unpleasant. There were only a few things that really bothered me. 1. I never completely warmed up to the ghost-doll-like creatures in the forest. 2. There were too many awkward silences- I had flashbacks of the Twilight movie (sorry if that’s one of your faves). 3. Some things just weren’t explained and that irked me. Why was she drinking the blood?
Seriously, if you know the answer to that last question, please tell me.
8. Would I recommend this movie to others?
Yes.
9. If yes, who? What would I rate this movie?
I would recommend it only if I know the person liked anime or were into varied artistic expressions.
On a scale of 1 to 5 movie reels, I give this film 4 reels.
10. Was there anything in this movie that could be related to me or anything I have written?
I don’t think I’ve written anything like this, but I’d like to. I like to be able to tell a story steeped in history and folklore. I’m working on something to this nature, but it doesn’t involve animals. I should try to write a story with talking animals- I’ve already tried talking plants (somewhat).
MOCK! and The Armchair Squid are proud to introduce Mock Squid Soup: A Film Society. Each month, on the second Friday, we shall host a bloghop devoted to movie reviews. We invite others to participate and post their reviews…Don’t be shy; come join the fun! 😀
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords
This review will consist of me asking myself 10 questions and answering them to the best of my ability. However, before I do that, let’s take a look at my clues from last week.
#1 This is an awarding winning French film that, like so many others, did not do well at in U.S. box offices, but has since built up a cult following.
#2 The story is a dark tale of the future that cleverly ties into the fictional past of (the release year of the film) 2006 to help explain the mystery that’s being solved in the movie.
#3 This is a black and white film of a different caliber, with some well-known actors lending their talents this relatively low budget (for its type) film that has an awesome tagline: Paris 2054. Live forever or die trying.
Sorry about that last clue. I worried I made the clues too vague, but just coming out and saying that the film was animated seemed too easy.
Like many sci-fi or futuristic movies, this film is about the pursuit of eternal youth or eternal life, two completely different things. It starts with a female scientist, Ilona, who seems to be in search of something, but before you have a chance to even wonder what it is, she gets kidnapped. This isn’t a spoiler; it’s the premise of the movie’s trailer. So in comes Captain Karas and the reckless sister, Bislane (I assume these are common French names.) to solve the case. With the investigation on, it doesn’t take long to realize that the company Ilona works for might have something to do with her disappearance I mean their name is Avalon and their slogan is “Health. Beauty. Longevity. Avalon. We’re on your side. For life.”…Right.
2. What did I think of the title, poster, and or trailer?
I’m not crazy about the title; I think it’s too vague. I guess it’s supposed to represent the genetic Renaissance of the future that makes people look and feel younger longer, but I feel like the movie didn’t emphasize that. Maybe the title means something else entirely and I just missed it.
I liked the trailer the first time I saw it which is why I wanted to see the movie, but I didn’t have a firm grasp on what the story was really about. I just thought it looked cool. I mean it’s an animated black and white movie made for a mature audience; how is that not cool? It turns out that the movie is more about Captain Kara’s investigation, but I won’t give away any details.
3. What did I think of the main character(s) and how the actors performed them?
Honestly, I didn’t think there was anything that really stood out about the voice work. Daniel Craig’s voice is distinctive, but that’s it. It sounds like trained actors reading lines in character. Nothing spectacular, but the animation is amazing. I feel like this was supposed to be a character-driven story, but I didn’t really connect with the characters. However, I didn’t dislike any of them and was able to easily follow along with Karas’s investigation. BTW- Karas’s character does have a very interesting back story.
4. What did I think of the direction and cinematography?
There are times when the images are hard to see, but that’s when you figure out how to look at the shadows around the light. The graphic artists were the real stars of this film and I guess the director helped all that come together.
5. What did I think of the soundtrack and score?
There were times when the music was a bit surreal and then there were times when I felt like James Bond was about to step onto the scene. The geek in me really liked that.
6. What did I like about the story as a whole?
I thought it was clever how the mystery of this story was tied into the past, the year 2006, which was the release year of the film. Overall I thought the story was really good and appreciated the little twist at the end.
7. What did I not like about the story?
I thought the relationship development was rushed and almost unnecessary, but people just don’t release movies without some kind romantic link. Also, I’m not sure if I picked up on a goof or glitch or what. There is one quick scene that I keep going back over, but I still can’t make sense of it.
8. Would I recommend this movie to others?
Yes, but I’d be picky about who I’d share it with.
9. If yes, who? What would I rate this movie?
Some people just don’t connect to animation and forget about black and white. I’d be sure to share this with an open-minded crowd. At least there are no subtitles, so that by itself will increase my audience.
On a scale of 1 to 5 movie reels, I give this film 4 reels.
10. Was there anything in this movie that could be related to me or anything I have written?
I haven’t written anything like this, but I have penned a few thoughts and or cautionary tales of the future. I think what I learned most from this film is that no matter how much time passes, some people will always be greedy and someone will always have to keep them in check.
MOCK! and The Armchair Squid are proud to introduce Mock Squid Soup: A Film Society. Each month, on the second Friday, we shall host a bloghop devoted to movie reviews. We invite others to participate and post their reviews…Don’t be shy; come join the fun! 😀
Thank you for taking the time to read this post. If you like it let me know and share it with others. See you next time, Toi Thomas. #thetoiboxofwords
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Ahh, the forgetful bliss of the vacating mind. Despite the fact that Squid totally sent out a reminder for this, I simply forgot to do it. Sooooo, let’s do it now.
