Movie Review: Hayao Miyazaki's "Ponyo"

Let me say first off that I have not yet seen a Studio Ghibli movie that I haven't absolutely adored. It's hard to watch anything from them that doesn't just make you smile the entire movie. Ponyo is no exception to this rule.

Ponyo, written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki, is a contemporary re-telling of the classic story The Little Mermaid. This isn't your Disney "Mermaid", with songs and angsty teens, though. Ponyo tells the story of Sosuke, a five year old boy who lives with his parents on the cliffs by the sea. His father works on a boat-I assume he is a fisherman, but it's never directly addressed-and so isn't home very often. His mother works at the senior center and is a bit of a reckless driver. Ponyo is at first, a small fish with the face of a girl. Her father has the task of keeping the balance between the ocean and the land, and her mother is the Goddess of Mercy. Ponyo swims away from her father to explore and is rescued by Sosuke. The two quickly make a strong bond. Of course, Ponyo's father isn't happy at all, and this is where the trouble begins.

Keeping with my own tradition, I won't go any further into detail about the story, so as not to ruin the movie for anyone, but I will say that it is extremely heart warming and cute. The animation is beautifully done, and I will say that if you want this movie, spring for the Blu-Ray version. I've watched both the regular DVD and the Blu-Ray and the clarity and beauty of the Blu-Ray version is breathtaking. It really adds to the movie to see all the colors and all the movement as it is meant to be seen. Miyazaki wanted, and was, incredibly involved with the hand-drawn animation of the movie, choosing to draw the sea and the waves himself. He enjoyed experimenting with how to draw what are such important pieces of the movie, and while watching it, you can see his dedication to his film.

The movie is obviously targeted to children, but it's hard for anyone to not love this movie. The english cast is star-packed, with Noah Cyrus voicing Ponyo, Frankie Jonas voicing Sosuke, Tina Fey as Lisa-Sosuke's mother, Matt Damon as Sosuke's father, Liam Neeson as Ponyo's father, Cate Blanchett as Ponyo's mother, and Lily Tomlin, Cloris Leachman, and Betty White as women at the senior center.

The voice acting is superb, the animation is beautiful, and the story is heart warming. It's hard not to love this movie when you see it, and that gets a big thumbs up from me.

Movie Review: Terry Gilliam's "The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus"

Let me jump right into this by saying that this movie is a fantastic piece of work, but contrary to what some people have assumed, this is not a children's movie. The title doesn't give much away, and I won't give spoilers, but as I said, this is not a children's movie.

Not many people realize that this was Heath Ledger's true final movie--he passed away half way through production. Terry halted production for a time, but Jude Law, Johnny Depp, and Colin Farrell signed on, and with a few re-writes, this masterpiece was born.

Heath plays "real life" Tony: a fast talking, honey-tongued shyster who, over the course of the movie, is revealed to have many faces. Each time he enters the imaginarium, he is played by a different actor and his personality progressively gets more shady and questionable. By the final foray into the imaginarium, Colin Farrell has taken over as Tony and he's downright vicious. Colin really impresses in this role, and this maybe the only time I've ever said that about Colin Farrell.

The movie is really another telling of the classic "good versus evil" story--Doctor Parnassus has the ability to help others who enter the imaginarium choose between light and laughter and joy, or darkness and gloom. Things go awry when the Doctor wins immortality in a wager, then falls in love with a mortal, and continues to make bets with the Devil himself.

The movie itself is visually amazing. Terry was incredibly hands-on during the making of the movie; he directed, produced, and helped create the original designs for the art department. The script is amusing, but the tone is very dark overall. Don't expect the typical happy ending, either.

All in all, I love this movie. It's quickly become a favorite of mine and the re-watch value is incredibly high. I give it a thumbs up, and I am pleased that Terry found a way to finish the movie without Heath without taking away from the incredible acting that Heath did in the parts of the movie that he finished. Rest in peace, Mr. Ledger.