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Castle in the Sky, a review by dfmorgan

Title: Castle in the Sky
Original Title: Tenkuu no Shiro Rapyuta
Year: 1986
Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Rating: NR
Length: 124 Min.
Video: Anamorphic Widescreen 1.85:1
Audio: English: Dolby Digital: 5.1, Japanese: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround, French: Dolby Digital: Dolby Surround
Subtitles: English

Stars:
Keiko Yokozawa
Mayumi Tanaka
Kotoe Hatsui
Nou Terada
Fujio Tokita

Plot:Extras:
Scene Access
Feature Trailers
Featurettes
Storyboard Comparisons
Closed Captioned
"Castle in the Sky" Introduction by John Lasseter


Another wonderful film from Hayao Miyazaki and the first to be actually created and released by the newly formed Studio Ghibli. Although not as overtly ecological as there were still elements within this film, the large tree at the centre of Laputa and the function of some of the robots on the island. The film again features a female lead character but this time she has a male lead to help and assist her. The story revolves around Pazu, the male lead, helping Sheeta, the female lead, find her true identity and home. As the film progresses we gradually learn that Sheeta is descended from the people of Laputa and that the crystal she wears has an important function.

One thing that came to my attention in both this and is how much Joe Hisaishi's music enables the mood, this is also evident in Ennio Morricone's music within the Spaghetti Western trilogy. Maybe todays composers, producers, directors need to review the way that they seem to use music so that instead of it being bang crash boom over the voices of the actors with a huge coda everytime the actor makes a statement that they think is relevant to the plot of the film.

A wonderful 5

Dave

ETA original title

(From dfmorgan's Studio Ghibli Marathon on June 17th, 2010)

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl, a review by DJ Doena

January, 2nd


Johnny Depp    ...    Jack Sparrow
Geoffrey Rush   ...    Barbossa
Orlando Bloom   ...    Will Turner
Keira Knightley   ...    Elizabeth Swann
Jack Davenport   ...    Norrington
Jonathan Pryce   ...    Governor Weatherby Swann

Synopsis: The pirate captain Jack Sparrow is coincidentally nearby when the daughter of Port Royal's governor nearly drowns and he saves her. But that lands himself in a cell. Ho won't stay there long. In the night after the "Black Pearl", a feared pirate ship, comes to Port Royal and kidnaps Miss Swann. Only Jack knows where she's been taken the blacksmith Will Turner teams up with him to rescue her. And now begins a wild chase across the Caribbean.

My Opinion: This was a great movie. Alas, if it has just remained one. Just like with The Matrix nobody can tell me they actually knew they were doing more than one movie and that they had a plan what was going to happen in the sequels. But this is about this movie and this movie was cool. It had all the fun and action a movie needs. It takes the whole pirates genre totally unseriously and makes a great fun out of it. And to be honest: This could only work with the current special effects. Remember how the skeletons walked in Army of Darkness? Back then this movie could have never worked. Nowadays (visual) special effects are mostly used to blow something up or destroy it in another way. But to use them in a totally un-technical movie, in sword-fights - it made the movie whole.

This was once again a very "intelligent" solution of the german title translators. They made it "Curse of the Carribean". And when part two came out they didn't know what to do, so they called it simply "Curse of the Carribean 2".

(From DJ Doena's movie watchings 2009 on January 4th, 2009)

Angel Marathon, a review by addicted2dvd

15. Loyalty
Original Air Date: 2/25/2002
As Fred and Gunn try to juggle their personal and work relationships, Wesley uncovers more information about the prophecy and approaches Holtz in hopes of preventing it.

Guest Stars:
Stephanie Romanov
Laurel Holloman
Jack Conley
Wendy Davis
Keith Szarabajka

My Thoughts:
A good episode that brings the storyline further. Even though it is beyond silly... I had to laugh at Wesley talking to the big hamburger.

My Rating:

(From Angel Marathon on March 14th, 2010)