Rowan Sullivan, Author at FilmRoot

476

Top 10 Best Anime Films from Japan – Anything Missing?

Look to Japan for some of the best anime films. Japan is an animation powerhouse! Whilst Hollywood has Disney, Japan had Studio Ghibli, led by Hayao Miyazaki and Isao Takahata. The creativity of the Japanese films in this list are often unmatched by their American counterparts. You are missing out if you haven’t seen at least a handful of these!

The Top 10

1. Princess Mononoke

Princess Mononoke is a classic. It is Miyazaki’s return to the more political realms of Nausicaa and Laputa – films which promote awareness of global issues such as discrimination, global warming, and war. Plus, the animation is beautifully created and the storyline is an adventure epic. For more, follow this link to check out my analysis of Princess Mononoke.

2. Spirited Away

Spirited Away is Miyazaki’s most celebrated work, and rightly so. The film follows a young girl who gets lost in a spirit world which she has to navigate to save her parents. I am in awe of how Miyazaki dreamed up everything in this film, it is the one of the most magical films you could watch.

3. Pom Poko

Oh yes! Pom Poko! This entry from Isao Takahata is framed as a sort of documentary. It follows some shape-shifting raccoons who rise up against the growing industrialisation/expansion of Tokyo to protect their habitat. One of the comedic highlights is seeing these raccoons parachute using their scrotum (don’t worry it’s completely PG). Pom Poko promotes awareness of industrialisation with this hilarious comedy.

4. Laputa: Castle in the Sky

Whilst not the best film title to translate into Spanish, this animation is another excellent addition from Miyazaki. It was the first film released by Studio Ghibli and set a very high bar for the rest of their films. In this adventure, a young girl searches for the island in the sky whilst trying to evade those who want to find it before her.

5. Howl’s Moving Castle

Yes, Studio Ghibli rounds out my top 5. Howl’s Moving Castle is one of Miyazaki’s most recent films and one of his most imaginative. Moving castles, talking fire, and a jumping scarecrow are three things you’ll find in this movie. Another brilliant example of Miyazaki’s celebrated career, this one also serves as an allegory for war.

6. Grave of the Fireflies

Isao Takahata’s animation of the bombing of Japan during World War Two is heart wrenching. There are some pretty sad moments in a number of Pixar films, but nothing on this level. This will hit you on another emotional level. In addition, learn about life in Japan during World War Two and how terrible war is!

7. Paprika

You thought Inception was original? Well you obviously didn’t see Paprika when it came out in 2006. Paprika is set in a future where patients can use devices to start lucidly dreaming. The problem is that some people are hacking into other people’s dreams. Not great if these skills fall in the wrong hands…

8. My Neighbour Totoro

This is the perfect film to watch for the little ones. My Neighbour Totoro is very peaceful and calm – there are no chases or conflict like some of the other Miyazaki films. However, in true Miyazaki fashion there is his trademark fantasy. And of course, there is Totoro! (a great addition to all the Disney merchandise).

9. Akira

Set in a dystopian future where society is crumbling, Akira is the anime equivalent of The Matrix. Pay attention to the superbly animated setting of ‘Neo-Tokyo,’ a city which resembles a mix of Bladerunner’s Los Angeles and Tron. Read a full preview of Akira here.

10. My Neighbors the Yamadas

Rounding out the top 10 is another entry from Isao Takahata. The star of this film is the hilarious skits of a family living in Tokyo. The snippets reminded me of things my family would do. The bare-bones animation adds to the simplicity of the film. It’s an ode to the regular family.

Conclusion

There are plenty more Japanese anime films to check out, so take this list as an entry point. I’ve included some more to watch later, that only just missed out on the top 10.

Nausicaa, The Wind Rises, Whisper of the Heart, The Girl Who Leapt Through Time.

477

Top 10 Mexican Films

I feel like it is a good idea to start some lists so you know where to start with film from each country around the world. I will update these as I watch more and more films from around the world and would appreciate your input as well!

To start with, here’s my top films from Mexico, a country which has produced the likes of Alfonso Cuaron, Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu, and Guillermo Del Toro in recent years.

1. Y Tu Mama Tambien

Shot beautifully as always with Alfonso Cuaron, this film follows two young privileged students on a road trip. They travel across Mexico unaware of the ‘real’ Mexico they pass by.

2. Amores Perros

Translated roughly as ‘Love’s a bitch’, Amores Perros marks the start of Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu’s feature film career. Based in Mexico City, we follow three different storylines connected by a car crash. The three story is also copied in Inarritu’s next two films (21 Grams and Babel).

3. El Infierno (El Narco)

One of my personal favourites, El Infierno is a dark comedy about Mexico during the Mexican Drug War. It follows Benny, recently deported from the U.S. who finds his home-town empty and without any jobs. As a result, he pretty much stumbles into drug trafficking. This one points a comic finger at politicians, drug trafficking, and organized corruption.

4. Sin Nombre

Directed by the guy behind the True Detective (Cary Fukunaga), Sin Nombre is an action-adventure film that spans Central America. It is an introduction to both the vicious Mara Salvatrucha gang and ‘La Bestia’ the train network that many Central Americans use to try and reach the U.S. It is gripping right until the final minutes and is complemented by some beautiful scenery.

5. Pan’s Labyrinth

This Spanish/Mexican film is Guillermo del Toro’s most famous and best. It’s fantasy matches the imagination of the Studio Ghibli animated classics. Set in Civil War Spain, this film is filmed along the boundary between reality and mythical. It received a 22 minute standing ovation after it’s screening at Cannes, and would be placed higher on this list if it’s honours were not shared with Spain.

6. Heli

Heli is brutal. It is a shocking examination of the effect of the Mexican drug war on a small town in northern Mexico. Director Amat Escalante won the Best Director award at Cannes for this one – a testament to it’s barren landscapes and bare editing. One word of warning before you watch this one though – it isn’t happy or light-hearted in any way.

7. Cronos

Another debut feature from one of Mexico’s most well known directors. Cronos is Guillermo del Toro’s Vampire horror flick that is characterised by his imagination. Eternal life, Ron Perlman, and a cute relationship between a granddaughter and grandfather that make this film great.

8. Miss Bala

Another brutal drug war flick, Miss Bala follows the life of a beauty paegeant queen who gets trapped within the wrath of a drug cartel. Gang leader Lino will haunt you for a while after this one – he is crafty and elusive. The film is gripping, and horribly fatalistic, just like Heli.

9. Instructions Not Included

At last, a cheesy comedy to lift your spirits. Instructions Not Included follow the feel-good story of a Mexican playboy who travels to the United States to return his American daughter to her mother. The film will have you laughing and crying for a very entertaining 2 hours.

10. Cesar Chavez

A Mexican-U.S. film about American Labour Leader, Cesar Chavez sees Michael Pena in his best role. The biographical film follows Chavez from his move to Delano, California though many of the non-violent campaigns he led. Alongside McFarland, Cesar Chavez is a timely portrait of migrant families in the San Joaquin Valley.

I have not seen as many Mexican films as I should have, so I have probably missed some greats. Please leave a comment if you think there should be another film in this list!

478

Under the Shadow

Film Difficulty Ranking: 2

Under the Shadow is a horror film with intelligence. It layers context of the Iraq-Iran war and female oppression onto a potent horror narrative. Therefore it’s perfect if you want something more from the horror genre without skimping out on the scare tactics. Ever heard of the Djinn? You will have by the end of this film and wishing you hadn’t.

Why Watch Under the Shadow?

To see how horror can be done well outside of Hollywood and Japan
Know anything about the Iraq-Iran War? Learn something about it by watching this film!
Will be available on Netflix soon!
If you’re a mother with a kid and don’t want to sleep at night!

The Breakdown

Under the Shadow starts with a montage of pixelated footage of the Iraq-Iran war. Meanwhile, in front of an office window a woman pleads a university official to let her return to her studies. Her pleas are rejected because of her former political activity (the reason she was expelled a few years earlier). As they talk a missile crashes into a building in the distance. This is a time of conflict.

Whilst Under the Shadow is a horror film, it also carries a very important message in disguise. Shideh, our female protagonist, becomes a symbol for female oppression. She is not allowed to restart her studies because of her political activity, her husband does not trust her with their child, and she ‘generously’ gets let off of some lashings after she is caught outside without a hijab. Under the layers of the horror lie a more telling critique in the items that go missing: a doll, a book on medicine, and a fitness video. These three items represent the things Shideh (a symbol of women in Iran) cannot be or do. She cannot be a kid any more, she cannot study medicine, and she cannot workout.

Elsewhere, the camera-work is particularly impressive at adding to the tension. Around the time something fishy happens the camera starts to shake and wobble, disorientating the viewer. So when things start appearing, we can’t see very clearly, leaving more up for interpretation. My favourite scene happens half way through when Shideh wakes up from her sleep. As she sits up, the camera rotates 90 degrees to match the angle of her body sitting up. The movement is unnatural and off-putting, and leads to something even more unnatural and off-putting (as you will see ;)).

After being happy with how much Blair Witch scared me a few weeks ago, I was on a horror high. Luckily, Under the Shadow matches the potency of Blair Witch (even at 11am on a Sunday morning). Even more impressive, is that the film is clever – it carries a political message (something that most horror film’s don’t even try to convey). Therefore this one comes certified. It will also be coming to Netflix soon – so no excuses for missing out!

479

The Look of Silence

Film Difficulty Ranking: 3

The Look of Silence continues a horrific examination of post-genocide Indonesia. Following on from The Act of Killing, The Look of Silence is an even more gut wrenching and unbelievable documentary. These death squad killers boast and laugh about the people they killed and are proud to be seen as heroes by the country and parts of the community. Is this really real!? Unfortunately it is, and it is something that we should no about instead of leaving it hidden in history.

Why Watch This Film?

You didn’t know there was a genocide in Indonesia
To learn how a genocide can happen (and still happen) from the people who committed it – all real footage and real people!
Propaganda is bad
It’s available on Netflix

The Breakdown

The film begins with a long take of an old man looking through some optician’s glasses. This shot is followed by another long take of some cocoons jumping and moving around on a table. Then we are shown another long take of a man starring at the camera thoughtfully. He is watching an interview with two men re-enacting what they did for the Indonesian death squads.

The subject matter is bleak and horrific throughout, but the director Joshua Oppenheimer fantastically guides us without intervention throughout. Instead of interviewing subjects directly about the murders they committed, Oppenheimer finds an Indonesian whose brother was murdered to do the questioning. As a result, he poses the victim against the perpetrator without any biased foreign perspective. The interviewer doesn’t show any hatred towards the death squad members. His questions aren’t particularly heavy or deep but are extremely effective when he gives his interviewees time to talk. His silence facilitates their candid and horrific responses.

The look of silence is the interviewers only punishment. The director emphasises the interviewees guiltiness by showing extended shots of their faces during and after their answers. In a similar way to the effect that the lingering shots give in Tokyo Story, the lingering shots give us time to think about what the interviewee has said and then to judge them. The combination of the interviewers long and sombre look at his guilty interviewees and the interviewees extended silence emphasises their guilt. This is how the director shows their guiltiness, without even saying a word.

Oppenheimer has the skill of getting people to talk without saying a thing. This is the power of the look of silence. The guilty are open about their crimes and open about the things they did, which makes it easy for us to judge them. One man said that because he had killed so many people he had to either drink human blood or go crazy. (the horrific irony). If we didn’t think he was guilty at that point, the interviewer then asks the same man another question about a different topic. The distracted interviewee ignores the question and says “it was salty and sweet.”

480

Grand Piano

Film Difficulty Ranking: 1

I feel like a cheat. This film is technically a Spanish film, but lucky for you, it’s all in English and has a familiar face in Elijah Wood! So no arguments! Grand Piano features some great editing, some great music, and a load of tension. This thriller was what Whiplash director Damian Chazelle was doing before he became famous (he wrote the script for this one).

Why Watch Grand Piano?

You’ll be surprised at how tense a piano recital can be.
For a classic ‘break a leg’ pun-ending (if you watch it, you’ll see what I mean – no spoilers!)
You can’t text and drive, but this guy can text and play piano!
Did you like Whiplash? Try this!

The Breakdown

This film opens with some sexy shots of a curvy grand piano in all it’s sleekness. A group of men carry start moving a grand piano out of a big mansion (with a picture of our protagonist Tom with an old man on the side). They carefully move the piano into a removal van for shipping. Meanwhile Tom (our pianist) is on a plane flying into Chicago. He wishes the plane would crash. But his wish is not answered. He cannot escape playing at the concert.

After meeting his wife before the concert, Tom is alone for a lot of his screen-time. He is alone in the changing room whilst everyone else is getting into their positions. He is alone on the walk up to the piano, and he is alone at the piano, which is elevated over the rest of the orchestra. Tom is on an island and the director isolates him in the shots he features in. As a result, we can see his fear of repeating his previous failures. The stakes are also much higher when it’s just you. (The focus on Tom also allows Elijah Wood to have the whole lime-light).

Another effect to look out for is the director’s editing. It makes playing the piano look a lot more exciting than you think. If you want a comparison, go onto YouTube and search for a piano tutorial. Most of the time, it’s just an image of someone’s fingers playing (shot from above), or a side shot of the whole person. Rarely do they get any more exciting than that on YouTube. However, on the big screen, the cutting from Tom’s dancing fingers to his anxious face builds some Hitchcock-esque tension. (The big swivel shots could also be a metaphor for the swivels Tom’s head is going through).

Whilst the plot may not be to the liking of some, I thought it was an entertaining thrill ride. It serves as a perfect example of how to shoot a musician and a perfect option before or after you watch Whiplash. However, this is a Spanish film, so no marks for watching it. Grand Piano is pretty much a Hollywood film so come back and watch something like Embrace of the Serpent for a challenge next week!