FILM REVIEW: Ponyo

Directed by Hayao Miyazaki

The new film from Studio Ghibli (Japanese equivalent of Pixar) is Ponyo. A truly heartwarming and enjoyable film that had me smiling all the way through. It's nice to see hand drawn animation again and Ponyo just made me miss it so much. The visuals in this film are superb. It's colourful, bright and incredibly uplifting.

The narrative structure is unusual but it's important to note that the story is told from an angle of a child, which is refreshing to see. It's like listening to a five-year old retelling their dream. It's simple yet imaginative and it's a lot of fun.

The portrayal of the characters are very much well done. Unlike cookie cutter characters that we so much (and get tired of) in children's films these days, the characters in Ponyo feel genuine, authentic and human. They're flawed, they make mistakes and it's easy to relate to them. Some people may complain about the abrupt ending but I think it's a perfect touch to the film. Since it's told from a child's angle the ending is what you would expect from a child. Quick, happy and no explanation required.

There were times when I stared at the screen, stunned at what I was seeing. Something in my head kept telling me that some of these things shouldn't be happening (over-exposure to generic kid's films, I think) and that they needed more explanation. But at one point I just stopped and learned to just go with it, and I'm glad I did.

RATING: 9/10

PARANORMAL ACTIVITY. Please release the original!!!

I've been reading a lot about an indie horror film called Paranormal Activity that screened in a handful of film festivals (including the Sydney Film Festival - still kicking myself for not seeing it when I got the chance). Dreamworks bought the rights to the film and held it, planning to release a remake (why?). People who have seen it have noted how the film is unbearably terrifying, and how it's the scariest horror film since The Exorcist. So if Dreamworks releases a remake, it's almost a guarantee that they're going to ruin an already good film. But recent news have surfaced announcing that they will hold off the remake and stick to the "original". I used quotation marks because we all know that studios can't help but edit amazing films such as this one, and unfortunately find a need to water them down. It's really sad. I wanna see the original, and I want it released now, I can't stand the wait any longer. I will gladly pay a premium price just to see this movie and so will a lot of people. This film has the potential to make a lot of money in the box office and I'm still figuring out what possessed Dreamworks to hold it off to the general public. It's currently number one on my most anticipated films to see, and will stay there until I see it.

FILM REVIEWS: The Cove and Bandslam

THE COVE
Directed by Louie Psihoyos

My favourite documentary from last year was Up The Yangtze, a poignant film detailing the lives of the many Chinese people affected by the rapid change of their homeland. It's a beautiful mix of modern and old China and it almost brought me to tears. Like Up The Yangtze, The Cove addressed one of the most significant issues facing the the world today. Not global warming, or terrorism but marine life, emphasising on the annual dolphin slaughter in the Japanese town of Taiji. A group of filmmakers and activists infiltrate the aforementioned town (who falsely claim themself as "dolphin-loving") to expose the shocking truth of the whaling industry, who kill thousands of dolphins and whales each year.

It sounds very bleak, and it is, but the real achievement of the filmmakers was how they weaved in a sprinkle of comic relief without detracting too much from the seriousness of the subject matter and as a result, gives us quite an entertaining film. It's also quite suspenseful at times and you forget that you're watching a documentary and not a thriller. It is still predominantly a sad film that deserves to be seen, with or without its entertainment value.

I became deply affected by the film, which is strange seeing as I'm not the biggest fan of dolphins out there (UPDATE: I am now). It pulls you in and takes you on a journey that you're glad you have seen, because now you can start the change.

I'm incredibly grateful to the filmmakers involved for shedding light into this significant issue and I hope that, like An Inconvenient Truth, this doco will find a larger audience and have a bigger impact on the whaling industry.

RATING: 10/10

BANDSLAM

Directed by Todd Graff

I was surprised by the amount of praise this movie received from critics. Now that I've seen it, I'm scratching my head, thinking that I viewed a completely different film from what the rest did. Honestly, I found it to be quite lame. Vanessa Hudgens was painfully annoying and I found myself rolling my eyes. So much so, that I began to get dizzy.

Although there were some funny moments, I just couldn't find myself relating to any of the characters or connecting to the film. It's like a middle-aged man's interpretation of what today's high schools are like and unfortunately get most of the elements wrong.

Overall it's still a pleasant film (I loved Lisa Kudrow), it would make an excellent rental.

RATING: 5/10

MUSIC IN MOVIES: The Tear-shredders

These film scores that are so sad and heartbreaking that is is enough to make one burst into tears, or at least produce a lump in the throat.

Requiem for a Dream



American Beauty

TOP TEN: Movies or TV shows that make me hungry

NOTE: NOT IN PARTICULAR ORDER

#10: Turkish Delight/Hot Chocolate scene in Narnia.
I would never hav tried turkish delight if it wasn't for this scene. It looked so perfect and delicious.

#9: Ratatouille
Even in CGI, the food in this movie is so mouth-watering. I actually like to eat dinner while watching this movie as it makes any food taste better.

#8: No Reservations
I coulddn't wait to get out of the theatre when I saw this film. Because my stomack was grumbling like crazy. It was borderline culinary pornography.

#7: Chocolat
How come I don't have any chocolate shops around my area that is as good as the one in the film??

#6: Mad Men Lunch Scene
I don't know why but this scene made me crave for a sandwich real bad. It's one of the early episodes in season one where Peggy was bought lunch from the cart and the sandwich was wrapped in waxpaper. It looked soo tasty.

#5: Pulp Fiction. The Big Kahuna Burger
I don't think I need to explain this. This scene made everyone crave for a cheese burger and had me frantically search for a place that sell Big Kahunas.

#4: Super Size Me
Ok, I know this documentary's intentions were to put people off McDonalds. Unfortunately it did the opposite to me. I ran out of the house and bought myself a Big Mac.

#3: Sex and the City Magnolia bakery scene or any SATC epsiode
This scene made everyone crave for cupcakes that the actual bakery has become immensely popular. Why are they always eating in this show? And they're always at some fancy New York restaurant. It's not fair.

#2: Matilda
Miss Turnbull's chocolate box, chocolate cake scene and TV dinner scene

#1: Hell's Kitchen
Everytime they mention the word risotto, I panic.

Next Top Ten: Movies/TV shows that make you crave for a cigarette.

True Blood and Mad Men

I don't recall TV being this good. Ever.
True Blood is sexy, delicious and twisted. I can't get enough of it and the writers always end each episode with a cliffhanger so you're always hungry for more. I almost ignored this show completely, dismissing it as another vampire show that's taking advantage of Twilight's success. But it's the opposite. It is like Twilight but for adults. It's Twilight with a brain.

Mad Men the show that satisfies my nostalgic craving. Incredibly well written, Mad Men is fast becoming one of my favourite shows on TV. The characters are interesting, the narrative almost perfect and it's visually stunning. It deserves all awards that are coming its way.

Predictable Plots: How do people do it??

When asking friends and family about a certain film that we've watched or a book that they've read, some of them usually reply with a complaint of the narratives predictable plot.

"You can see the ending from a mile away!!" a critic once complained.

Seriously. How do people do this. There's something seriously wrong with me because no matter what I do, whenever I try to foretell a story's ending, using hints and clues from the scenes that precede it, I always get it wrong. Except for Slumdog Millionaire but that doesn't count.

Even while watching a movie that shows a plethora of cliches, I still tell myself, that maybe, just maybe this movie will be different? I have faith that it will not end the way it should. That it will break the formula, subvert the genre, turn it on its head. So when I predict the plot my mind usually thinks up the most ridiculous conclusion.
90 percent of the time I'm wrong and can't help feeling guilty for my incompetence to play psychic, but still I cling on to the Hope.
The Hope that the writers of this movie or tv show or whatever will think that "hmmm we should do something different. Make them think this way, then boom hit them with a plot twist. They'll never predict this!"
This has only happened to me a few times, when my ridiculous conclusion is correct and other people are impressed by the ending that they "could have never predicted".

But unfortunately most of the time my prediction is wrong, and it means the movie sucks.