There is a longstanding discussion point within the film community about how much of the narrative should be explained to the viewer, with many arguing that ambiguity is good for creating a bit of mystery and intellectual resonance; that the director should not spell everything out for the public.

The Boy and the Heron arguably pushes this approach too far. Too many actions and words are left unexplained. In the end, it leaves you with a sense of wonder but also an unsatisfactory feeling, as if some of the scenes were cut from the final version. This forces people to analyse and overanalyse that, which isn’t there.

The story centres on Mahito, a young boy who loses his mother in a fire during World War II. The father remarries the boy’s aunt and moves to their family’s old estate, where the boy comes across a mysterious tower and uncovers his family’s involvement with it. The work deals with themes of grief, suffering, escapism, family legacy and growing up.

The animation is in Miyazaki’s classic style, mixing hand-drawn style and CGI very effectively. Surrealist imagery helps create emotional depth. Miyazaki’s trademark high level of detail is here along with the magical vibe found in his earlier masterpieces.

Joe Hisaishi’s score is minimalistic but effective. It is deeply emotional, dark and haunting.

In short, The Boy and the Heron takes you on an emotional dreamlike adventure, but it expects you to get on board without asking any questions, and then leave when the ride is over, even though your head is still riddled with questions.

The post The Boy and the Heron appeared first on Ars Mea.

Verdict:

Mr. Fogg is an ***hole. The book just makes him appear punctual rather than a caricature of fussy and smug British man, the kind you would come across in American cartoons.

This film is an audio-visual spectacle. The story takes you across the globe, and the filmmakers fully embrace this premise, showing off a variety of places, people and events associated with a particular location. From the lush baroque posh halls of Britain to the Indian jungle to Japan, you accompany Mr. Fogg like you’re on a lavish vacation from the comfort of your couch. The shots emphasize perspective, featuring arches and colonnades.

The camera has a very wide angle, giving an almost constant fisheye lens effect, which makes the whole affair dreamy and was perhaps meant to simulates the roundness of the globe. Either way, the film has a fairly peculiar visual style as a result of it. The music is loud and bombastic, and of course, each country visited offers something different. The combination of a wide angle lens, racing comedic music and foreign visuals creates an atmosphere reminiscent of a circus or a carnival.

As you might expect, this film is built like a video vacation. You’d expect much of the movie to be filmed on a set or in the English countryside, but the production was actually shot in various countries, including Thailand and Mexico. Clearly an effort was made to bring real costumes and people of various races and languages to the screen.

However, this is also the main weakness of this film. It is just a travel show, or rather a conglomeration of several travel shows. The main characters move from one situation to the other, something stereotypical happens and then they move on. The story is an afterthought, only serving to set up the next display. There is a 5 or 10 minute matador show, which somehow manages to get boring. Imagine watching a camera view of bullfighting (no animas hurt) from the stands…on a small screen.

As for the two main characters, once established, they do not offer much new. They do crazy stuff alright and stuff happens to them, but there is no exposure or growth of character.

Passepartout is played by Mexican Charlie Chaplin-like fellow by the name of Mario Moreno, who without a doubt, knows his stuff, but whose acting seems to suffer, possibly due to his struggle with the English language.

This film is a rich tapestry of the charming and the tedious, the visually impressive and the narratively shallow. Some acting is good and some average. There are good stunts and silly looking ones. t’s a warm, feel-good adventure at times, but the disjointed, meandering structure makes it difficult to stay engaged. I question its Academy Award. Must have been a slow year…

The post Around the World in 80 Days appeared first on Ars Mea.

Verdict:

Rise of Gru has the most blatant and tasteless pondering to the Chinese market I have seen in a Western production. If I was Chinese I would be offended. Beyond that, it contains the minimum number of visual jokes and just enough colourful animation required to pass the quality control. It is actually not the worst Despicable Me sequel. I want to hate it for how generic it is, but to its credit, there are no major plot holes and the dialogue is servicable. It is a totally serviceable kids movie. There is little else to say about it.

The post Rise of Gru appeared first on Ars Mea.

Verdict:

The post The X-Files, Clyde Bruckman’s Final Repose appeared first on Ars Mea.

Verdict:

I don’t feel emotionally mature enough to review this movie.

The post City of God appeared first on Ars Mea.

The post Test appeared first on Ars Mea.

Verdict:

Just a short one, because there is not a lot to say about Moana 2.

There are two songs that woke me up from my sleep, Get Lost, with the vocals from Awhimai Fraser, and Dwayne Johnson’s Can I get a Chee Hoo. Fraser does some amazing vocal gymnastics and her song is catchy. There is so much vocal power against the background of 70s instrumentation. Can I get a Chee Hoo features an energetic Dwayne Johnson rapping with a complicated backing track and the lyrics are pretty smart. These two songs make you realise how boring the preceding songs are. They are just generic Disney princess stuff, with some Polynesian flavour thrown in occasionally. This is why you shouldn’t put so many songs in an animated film – they can’t all be diamonds, so just put in the diamonds and leave the rest out. They are fine, but that’s it.

Other than that, Moana 2 continues the trend from the first instalment of having breathtaking visuals but a bad story. The writing is very lazy, and the details make no sense. It gets worse the closer you get to the end. What are they doing now? Why are they doing it? Don’t know. Was never foreshadowed. Look at the pretty colours and shut up.

Simea, Maoan’s little sister, is extremely cute, well animated and voiced. Dwayne Johnson is very energetic as Maui. Where does this guy get so much energy, if he barely sleeps? Moana herself is…ok. I’ve experienced this type of female lead performance so many times in so many other animated films that it’s hard to produce an opinion of any kind.

Moana 2 is another mindless beautiful animated movie.

The post Moana 2 appeared first on Ars Mea.

Verdict:

Chinese market I have seen in a Western production. If I was Chinese, I would be offended. That aside, the film contains the minimum number of visual gags and just enough colourful animation required to pass the quality control. It is actually not the worst Despicable Me sequel. I want to hate it for how generic it is, but to its credit, there are no major plot holes and the dialogue is serviceable. It is a totally adequate children’s movie. There is little else worth of note.

The post Minions, the Rise of Gru appeared first on Ars Mea.

Cinema Paradiso leads us through the life of a man by the name of Salvatore and shows the role cinema played in his life and the lives of the inhabitants of the little Sicilian town of Giancaldo. We see the town’s cultural and technological transformation through the decades after the war.

Some elements of the film work well, like the heartwarming portrayal of the friendship between Salvatore and his mentor Alfredo, and the depiction of local culture in post-war Italy. However, the film falters when it introduces the love story between Salvatore and Elena, a local girl. It is sappy and simplistic. At one point, our lovers are laying on the stones in the pouring rain as they kiss. It looks very romantic, until you realise that this would be extremely uncomfortable and makes no sense.

As the story returns to the present day, Salvatore goes back to Giancaldo, and the love of his youth is, of course, still there. This is when the movie becomes overly sentimental and a bit boring, as it refuses to wind down yet struggles to find meaningful material. The film is almost 3 hours long, but feels far longer, because the shots are drawn-out and the pacing comes to a crawl, especially towards the end. Cinema Paradiso just refuses to finito when it should.

With the themes being what they are, the film will appeal to those interested in Sicilian post-war culture and specifically in the art of filmmaking (Giuseppe Tornatore’s love for cinema is probably far greater than yours or mine). Without a strong connection to these themes, what remains is the relationships of Salvatore with his mentor and the love story with Elena, which may not be compelling enough to sustain interest.

The standout performance is Alfredo, played by Philippe Noiret. As for Salvatore himself, you can be the judge. A good chunk of the film is set during his childhood, where the role is given to the boy by the name of Salvatore Cascio and this kid was probably encouraged to overact. His delivery can be quite irritating but also endearing at times. The teenage Salvatore is alright, but his performance doesn’t stand out.

The cinematography is warm and cozy, just like Italy itself. Ennio Morricone’s score is a major contributor to the film’s emotional weight and is recognizable, with its dramatic longing strings. The main theme lingers in the mind. Everything is a bit melodramatic, but that’s Italy for you.

Cinema Paradiso is a nostalgic celebration of cinema mixed with a sentimental and simplistic celebration of love. If you like the idea of embedding yourself in the culture of the time and don’t mind the simple love story, then this film makes for a rewarding experience, but if you are just an average movie goer expecting a compelling narrative, this film may bore you, particularly in its last act. There is apparently a shorter version of this film. While the critics tend to recommend the full version, the shorter version might provide a more concise and impactful experience.

The post Cinema Paradiso appeared first on Ars Mea.

Verdict:

Vulgar shock humour is divisive. I recall how Sausage Party, another such filthy comedy from Seth Rogen from a few years back, had some people laughing on the floor while (most) others utterly hated it. After watching Good Boys, I expected it to have a perfect score from the public, and then remembered, “Oh right, this is an immature comedy and it’s 2019.”

However, unlike Sausage Party, which seemed to have the sole objective of shocking you with gross-out humour, Good Boys demonstrates a surprising level of intelligence amid its silliness and is considerably more charming. There is a quick line uttered by one of the kids in this movie: “I am not a feminist. I like women”. This line is brushed over very quickly and the movie moves on, but it’s full of brilliant well-timed little nuggets like this one.

The plot is rather disjointed and therefore forgettable. There is some very basic premise, but the narrative structure of Good Boys is more episodic. It goes from one situation to the other, as the misadventures of main characters escalate, but it’s just a series of connected sketches.

Despite potential objections to the film’s style of comedy, the technical execution is solid. The acting, particularly from the three young leads, is surprisingly competent. Remember, these are 3 kids, and it could’ve been much worse. The direction and cinematography are straightforward but effective, with some creative shots that add to the film’s comedic beats. The comedic timing is on point.

Good Boys should appeal to those who enjoyed the early Family Guy or Tosh.0 or South Park. If you cringed at those, you will cringe at this movie too. But I am, for one, glad it exists. This type of film is now considered edgy, after everything South Park gave us and after all the raunchy comedies of the past century. Say what you want about the prenuclear persona of Seth Rogan, but in this sterile world, where people lost their sense of humour, the world desperately needs movies like Good Boys.

The post Good Boys appeared first on Ars Mea.