Moving Pictures

I need to see ESB and ROTJ again, I'm sure ESB is the better film OVERALL but man, nothing tops the final confrontation in ROTJ.

Empire is the best, then it's a toss-up between the original Star Wars and The Last Jedi for second place depending on my mood.

It really isn't.

ESB > ROTJ > SW > Rogue One > Force Awakens > Solo »»TLJ »»»»»»»» any of the shite prequel trilogy

Not seen the new one yet, but it'll be better than TLJ I'm sure, which is a dumpster fire.

See I've never got the love for ESB. It has no proper beginning, no proper ending, it's just a series of set-pieces and then it just stops. It's nowhere near as good as the original Star Wars which has a proper structure and is the only one of the entire set that actually works as a standalone movie.

I have a soft spot for ROTJ because it was the first one of these I ever saw but then again I like Muppets and it's fucking full of them.

I think ESB is a better film than ROTJ overall, but I'd say they are interchangeable - and I probably preferred ROTJ as a kid as it landed in cinemas when I was old enough to go and see it. Star Wars is great too - I'd argue the original 3 are all largely as good as one another. Rogue One I wasn't convinced by on first watching, but has really grown on me - and the love it shows to the universe and lore is charming. Force Awakens is knockabout fun. A bad ending, for sure, but worth it all for the T70s skimming over the lake (one of the greatest entrances for the heroes in any movie). Solo is somewhat meh, but was OK. TLJ is a horror show overall (not because it contains women), but has some OK moments. And the original prequel trilogy doesn't get any better however often I watch it. Of the three maybe Phantom Menace is the least worst.

With the little one in nursery, Minx and I used the last of our Christmas/New Year days off to go see Jojo Rabbit, which I loved. Hilarious in places (there's an Alsatian joke that caught me totally off-guard) and very tense in others, though maybe lacking the third-act gut-punch it thinks it has. And I'm not convinced the (varying-quality) German accents from the cast was a good choice compared to the Chernobyl/Death of Stalin approach.

Sam Rockwell knocked it out of the park, of course.

I'm glad to see Taika Waititi hasn't been spoiled by the big-budget Marvel machine and can still make something on a smaller scope. Very much looking forward to Next Goal Wins now.

Skywalker was OK. better than TLJ, worse than FA or Rogue One. The frantic pace, huge plot problems and general haphazard nature of it was ridiculous, but it wasn't utterly shite, which I guess is all we can ask for.

I don't know what fucking bizarro-universe I've ended up in where people think The Force Repeats Itself was better than The Last Jedi.

Yeah just in the interests of sticking up for a good film, Last Jedi is a great film. Rise of Skywalker is a bit poo.

Not felt so increasingly disappointed towards sequels to a film I liked since The Matrix, probably.

The Force Awakens is a shallow, reassuring, comfort-food retread of previous Star Wars movies that was just about excusable as a reassurance to a nervous fanbase that they were going for something more traditionally Star Wars than the prequels.

The Last Jedi challenged the concept of heroism and basically deliberately refuted the "badass jedi" concept that the most ardent fanboys wanted, instead opting to return to the actual Jedi philosophy, as stated at least as far back as Empire, and doing - gasp! - actual character development. Of course the fanboy hive-mind were pissed off, and the resulting furore was enough to drive Disney back to Abrams, whose regurgitated "REMEMBER THIS? IT WAS AWESOME, RIGHT? HERE IT IS AGAIN - BUT BIGGER!!!" approach to "narrative" was so successful last time round.

And now, there's the inevitable #ReleaseTheJJCut bullshit on Twitter, because the selfsame fanboys who believed JJ was the chosen one who'd save "their" Star Wars from the sinister advance of the SJW Feminazi cabal cannot bring themselves to recognize that he's just a bit shit, a wannabe Spielberg with enough technical ability to get a scene to function, but no interest in consistent narrative, thematic arcs, or character.

People hated The Empire Strikes Back when it came out - how dare they not have Leia and Luke together? What the hell were they thinking, having Darth Vader claim to be Luke's dad? That's got to be a lie. Why split all the heroes up, and have Luke spend the whole time with a fucking Muppet?

The Last Jedi did what Empire did - it built out the world, it tested the characters, and all of them have significant growth. It questions the notion of what a Jedi is, even if you don't like the answer. It asks what the value of a legacy is, and whether it's better to reject your own legend, or use it for positive ends. It's a genuinely good film with stuff to say about Star Wars, and fandom, and stories. The idea that people dismiss it because of, what? Canto Bight? Rose Tico? Luke being a recluse?

I predict it'll have a much better reputation in a few years' time. Until then, we have The Rise of Skywalker - which, frankly, is the trash fire these fucking insecure whingers deserve.

What was wrong with hating Luke being a recluse?

It's a stupid thing to hate it for.

He's following in the footsteps of his two teachers, for a start, never mind that it's the only coherent way to reconcile the events of The Force Awakens - this is the guy who abandoned Jedi training the first time round to go save his friends on Bespin, but he's going to sit there doing fuck all on Ach-To while Kylo impales Han? Nope, I don't buy it. The only way he doesn't turn up there is because he doesn't know, and the only way he couldn't know is if he's not using the Force.

I mean that's all great, but the Last Jedi was just a bit shit. The plot was bobbins. Canto Bight was prequel levels bad. None it made any sense. I thought the Luke treatment was fine. it's just a shit, weird film. Bad plot, bad acting, bad writing, bad. Force Awakens was fine. Frothy nostalgia. Skywalker was shit in bits, but not as shit as TLJ. You don't need to be a neckbeard to hold this opinion.

You don't need to be a neckbeard to hold this opinion.

But it helps..?

Rumours abound that Disney's next focus for Star Wars is 400 years in the past. (In the films' past, that is.)

Not only that, they're apparently planning a large extended universe, complete with comic, videogame and book tie-ins.

Can't really understand why they didn't do that five years ago. They own Marvel. They know how this stuff works.

Rumours abound that Disney's next focus for Star Wars is 400 years in the past.

I saw something recently that there's a reference to Darth Revan in Rise of Skywalker – maybe they're looking in the KOTOR direction?

Rumours abound that Disney's next focus for Star Wars is 400 years in the past. (In the films' past, that is.)

Not only that, they're apparently planning a large extended universe, complete with comic, videogame and book tie-ins.

Can't really understand why they didn't do that five years ago. They own Marvel. They know how this stuff works.

I thought that's what they were already doing, they've already released a fair few books, comics, 2 animated series, 1 live action series and a game

Watched Logan last night. I really enjoyed it and it was an impressively downbeat epilogue to the Wolverine Cinematic Universe. The girl who played Laura was fantastic too.

https://twitter.com/CrispyW0nT0n/status/1216461063274876928?s=19

Oscar nominations are out - lots of nods for Joker, of all fucking things, but good to see Jojo Rabbit get a few nominations - though Knives Out has been robbed of deserving nominations for Director and Cinematography (I expect it to lose Screenplay to 1917 or OUATIH).

Who's got predictions?

Best Picture:

“Ford v Ferrari”
“The Irishman”
“Jojo Rabbit”
“Joker”
“Little Women”
“Marriage Story”
“1917”
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
“Parasite”

Lead Actor:

Antonio Banderas “Pain and Glory”
Leonardo DiCaprio “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
Adam Driver “Marriage Story”
Joaquin Phoenix “Joker”
Jonathan Pryce “The Two Popes”

Lead Actress:

Cynthia Erivo “Harriet”
Scarlett Johansson “Marriage Story”
Saoirse Ronan “Little Women”
Charlize Theron “Bombshell”
Renee Zellweger “Judy”

Supporting Actor:

Tom Hanks, “A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood”
Anthony Hopkins, “The Two Popes”
Al Pacino, “The Irishman”
Joe Pesci, “The Irishman”
Brad Pitt, “Once Upon a Time in

Supporting Actress:

Kathy Bates, “Richard Jewell”
Laura Dern, “Marriage Story”
Scarlett Johansson, “Jojo Rabbit”
Florence Pugh, “Little Women”
Margot Robbie, “Bombshell”

Director:

Martin Scorsese, “The Irishman”
Todd Phillips, “Joker”
Sam Mendes, “1917”
Quentin Tarantino, “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood”
Bong Joon Ho, “Parasite”

Animated Feature:

“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” Dean DeBlois
“I Lost My Body” Jeremy Clapin
“Klaus” Sergio Pablos
“Missing Link” Chris Butler
“Toy Story 4” Josh Cooley

Adapted Screenplay:

“The Irishman,” Steven Zaillian
“Jojo Rabbit,” Taika Waititi
“Joker,” Todd Phillips, Scott Silver
“Little Women,” Greta Gerwig
“The Two Popes,” Anthony McCarten

Original Screenplay:

“Knives Out,” Rian Johnson
“Marriage Story,” Noah Baumbach
“1917,” Sam Mendes and Krysty Wilson-Cairns
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Quentin Tarantino
“Parasite,” Bong Joon-ho, Jin Won Han

Cinematography:

“The Irishman,” Rodrigo Prieto
“Joker,” Lawrence Sher
“The Lighthouse,” Jarin Blaschke
“1917,” Roger Deakins
“Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,” Robert Richardson

Best International Feature Film:

“Corpus Christi,” Jan Komasa
“Honeyland,” Tamara Kotevska, Ljubo Stefanov
“Les Miserables,” Ladj Ly
“Pain and Glory,” Pedro Almodovar
“Parasite,” Bong Joon Ho

Film Editing:

“Ford v Ferrari,” Michael McCusker, Andrew Buckland
“The Irishman,” Thelma Schoonmaker
“Jojo Rabbit,” Tom Eagles
“Joker,” Jeff Groth
“Parasite,” Jinmo Yang

Original Score:

“Joker,” Hildur Guðnadóttir
“Little Women,” Alexandre Desplat
“Marriage Story,” Randy Newman
“1917,” Thomas Newman
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker,” John Williams*“The King,” Nicholas Britell

Original Song:

“I Can’t Let You Throw Yourself Away,” “Toy Story 4”
“I’m Gonna Love Me Again,” “Rocketman”
“I’m Standing With You,” “Breakthrough”
“Into the Unknown,” “Frozen 2”
“Stand Up,” “Harriet”

Visual Effects:

“Avengers Endgame”
“The Irishman”
“1917”
“The Lion King”
“Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker”

(Full list all over the internet, or the one I stole from at Variety.)

The Irishman shouldn't win Best Visual effects, though I'd be well happy if Joe Pesci got best supporting actor, especially after his acceptance for the same award for his role in Goodfellas

lots of nods for Joker, of all fucking things,

Sure, but does anyone think it's actually gonna win? Based on the buzz, and repeated accusations of various forms of white male prejudice, I'd be unsurprised off Little Women walks away with every category it's nominated in.

Can't possibly speak based on my own opinion, mind, as I've seen precisely none of the films nominated.

I think the interesting question is whether the Academy will snub the Netflix productions…

Once Upon A Time in Hollywood. Hmm. I respect it, but it's hell of a lot of film for one bait and switch.

We put on Mortal Engines last night. I loved the moving towns but the plot and the characters were all awful. Turned out off halfway.

It's a very shit film.

1917 is brilliant, and completely exhausting.

I found the 'one shot' thing slightly distracting – I spent a lot of time looking for and noticing the hidden cuts – but it was mostly an incredible experience.

It must have been a difficult shoot for the two actors.

21 Studio Ghibli films are coming to Netflix next month. That's a pretty huge win for them!

Amazing. What's good/worth prioritising? I saw Spirited Away years ago and that's it I think.

Princess Mononoke, Laputa/Castle in the Sky, and The Cat Returns are my favourites, but there's also a bunch I've not seen – Porco Rosso is the biggest gap in my Ghibli viewing.

I watched quite a few when they came on Film 4, years ago. They had one every night for a month or something.

I loved My Neighbour Totoro and Kiki's Delivery Service. Grave of the Fireflies made me cry (but isn't a part of this Netflix deal). I watched Princess Mononoke but don't remember it, despite it being one of the most highly regarded. And yes Spirited Away is wonderful.

I watched Princess Mononoke but don't remember it

Spirited Away is my favourite.

The ones I've seen:

Castle in the Sky (1986) – my favourite Miyazaki movie, proper silly air pirate adventure
My Neighbor Totoro (1988) – a bit fluffy and slow, but great character designs on the creatures
Kiki’s Delivery Service (1989) – probably the most uneven Miyazaki film, kinda meandering at the start but with a pretty great finale
Nausicäa of the Valley of the Wind (1984) – technically I think this is pre-Ghibli, but it's pretty stunning nonetheless; great designs, though the animation is a bit ropey in places
Princess Mononoke (1997) – the best film Miyazaki's ever going to make, and the epitome of his technology vs. nature ouevre
Spirited Away (2001) – Miyazaki's The Departed: pretty good, but it only won the Oscar cos the academy was scared he'd actually retire this time (narrator voice: he didn't)
The Cat Returns (2002) – my favourite Ghibli movie, though admittedly a bit slight
The Tale of The Princess Kaguya (2013) – worth watching at least once, but I don't think it's all that notable apart from the animation style
Pom Poko (1994) – shape-shifting raccoons with magic testicles
Howl's Moving Castle (2004) – an okay story elevated by some great animation and production design

Well that’s a solid list of recommendations. What are the most kid-friendly ones do you reckon? I’m guessing the raccoons with magic testicles are best left till later. Totoro seems to be the one that you see around the most.

Also: subbed or dubbed? I'm normally a subtitles purist but I guess it's a bit different for animation (which by definition is dubbed in every language). As long as the voices aren't whiny-whiny American I reckon I could live with it.

Dubs all the way. You can't enjoy the animation while you are reading subtitles.

So many good films…

The only one I'd avoid the dub for is Castle in the Sky – not because the dub itself is bad, but it also adds a bunch more music and dialogue which kinda hamstring the atmosphere in places.

But by and large the dubs are great. A little stunt-cast-y for my liking, but none of them get in the way.

I love Tale of Princess Kaguya, the kids do too, my favourite is Princess Mononoke though.

As for the dubs, I've only seen Mononoke with subs, and Kiki has Kirsten Dunst as Kiki whom I'm not a fan of.

One thing I never see mentioned in regards to Ghibli is how amazing the sound design is. It usually gets lost amongst praise for the visuals. If you're ever watching any of the films alone I recommend using a good pair of headphones, it's remarkable.

I imagine a lot of people got their ASMR start in life watching/listening to Ghibli characters prepare food. I watched Howl's Moving Castle last night and genuinely considered making myself bacon and eggs at 11.30pm.

Ghibli animate food like nobody else. It's ridiculous.

Ghibli: Our oldest got Ponyo from Santa at Christmas and has been watching Totoro reguarly for the last couple of years. We just watched Ponyo for the first time at the weekend and really enjoyed it. There was a trail for Tale from Earthsea at the front of it and I had been thinking I'd like to see that again so… This is convenient. Porco Rosso is my favourite. I've not seen it since early 00's when we had a Sky box and had a pile of them taped off Film4 but I remember it being more affecting than I expected a film about a pig piloting a spitfire would be.

Not Ghibli: Watched Ready or Not last night. It's about a woman marrying into an old money family who have a tradition where, when someone marries into the family they have to play a game decided at random. The kicker is that if it's hide and seek the family will hunt them through the house. Of course… this time it's hide and seek. It's surprisingly economical and well done and has an excellent shift in tone from all out creepy to quite funny and over the top.
I had thought initially that it was another film – The Hunt – which had a similar premise but was banned before release last year after mass shootings in America.

I find them slightly unsettling and therefore don't really have much of a desire to watch the ones I've seen again, but I guess Ponyo was the best of the bunch

Oh my god, I… I kind of agree with cav.

I don't know if it'd the art style, or what, but there's just something about Ghibli that makes me feel slightly… uneasy? watching them. I appreciate the skill that's gone into them, but I can never just settle in. It's really weird.

There is something elastic about the animation - even people are slightly… gelatinous, especially from Spirited Away onwards.

I don't have a problem with it myself, but I can see how it could be unsettling.

I'm going to see Spirited Away at the cinema next week, I've not seen it in years, someone had organised a showing through a website called Our Screen but they have to sell a certain amount of tickets before the showing will go ahead and it's hit target today, so yeah, I'm looking forward to that

Yes, I think that's a good way of putting it - I appreciate the skill and artistic talent, I wonder if it's perhaps a cultural thing? There is an ebb and flow to Western animations, and perhaps I'm just brought up with that and keyed into it. I can't ever relax when watching Ghibli - perhaps it's a constant feeling something terrible is going to happen, I don't know. Spirited Away was a bit like that. I remember feeling vaguely worried all the way through.

They definetly have an other worldly feel that's not in alot of other animation, even other Japanese animation, I think there's an element of physics being a little loose.

perhaps it's a constant feeling something terrible is going to happen,

I hadn't thought about it this way before but this made me think that a lot of the emotional heft comes from the sense that something bad can and will happen. The relief when it doesn't or when you get the the end with all characters intact/back to their true selves is probably what produces all the emotions.

Not Ghibli: Watched Joker last night. I was surprised by it because I sort of went in thinking 'I suppose I should see this' and much like Thor: Ragnarok it was not what I expected. In a very different way.