The Wind Rises

[Bamyasi]

the #1 problem is the widespread belief that animation is for children, or that it shouldn't be taken seriously (hence why almost all "adult" animation in the states is in the form of comedy). if that could be quelled then i think the market would burst open very quickly.

So you're saying there needs to be some kind of mass re-education à la:
?

Also I remembered why I was conflating the departments originally. I was talking to some people in the film industry (aka my dad) and they were all criticizing the academy for giving the Best Cinematography award to movies like Avatar and Life of Pie. Following that trend, Gravity would win this year. The problem is that both The Grandmaster and Inside Llewyn Davis have the best cinematography from a traditional standpoint, whereas Gravity has the best as far as technological innovation goes. I think someone jokingly said that movies like Life of Pie should be considered animated, or else have their own category besides Best VFX, and so that's where my logic's coming from. Also I'm a dumbass.

I don't know. It's weird when people like Stan "the Man" Kubrick used rear projection and cutting edge special effects in movies like Eyes Wide Shut and 2001, yet those films still look amazing today (for the most part). I guess I just defy the industry's current use of this technology. Think of all the untreaded creative ground film has yet to creatively tread, all the creative virgins it has yet to creatively deflower. Think of how easy deflowering those virgins would be if Hollywood's primary focus wasn't pouring money into making more and more realistic fuck-ugly monsters and mouth-breathingly retarded disaster movies.

[rtil]

well the academy is full of dumbfucks anyway, it's no surprise they can't differentiate between cinematography and vfx. if they want to add another category they could add best digital cinematography but that is just splitting hairs. i think it should not be awarded to those kinds of films because the framing devices in greenscreen are completely fabricated, they can be planned and staged and nothing needs to be done on location. in that sense , it is "easier" to achieve good cinematography, whereas in traditional filmmaking, framing devices have to be found or created from scratch in a brick and mortar fashion.

but i don't expect the academy to ever understand the difference or pretend that they care, everyone knows it's pretty much a circlejerk at this point. the only major award ceremony i think is worth its salt is the Annies.

[Bamyasi]

That's exactly how my father put it, and he's in the academy.

And yeah that's I think the only place VFX and animation are comparable, in not relying so much on location or set design. One is obviously far more pure in that respect though.

[zwimmy]

fucking hollywood

[spoilerimg]http://www.thebackalleys.com/dump/files/2716/1180yT_jew.gif[/spoilerimg]

[rtil]

Hikoukigumo - Kaze Tachinu OST (Vietsub)

[CVG]

This film is playing here in San Francisco already so I plan to see it this Sunday.

[Gilthwixt]

I'm reading all of this talk about 2D animation and thinking to myself "Here I could be studying hard, gathering contacts and preparing to usher in a glorious renaissance of 2D animation by starting my own studio, but instead I'm sitting at home masturbating"

I would like to believe that 2D will definitely make a come back. It might just be because I gravitate to like-minded individuals, but 90% of the people in my social circles have no problem with the idea of animated films aimed at adults. Look at the way "nerd" culture has progressed in the last 15 years, with movies like The Dark Knight and Iron Man being incredibly successful franchises based on comic books. Today's adults are heavily nostalgic for the cartoons and comics they grew up on, and while I don't think the majority of them have the attention-span for a complex, deep narrative in a cartoon, I doubt such cartoons would have trouble finding a market to survive on. IIRC Avatar: The Last Airbender was one of the most successful cartoons the previous decade, and also one of the most complex. It attracted fans much older than the intended audience, fans that are now likely in their mid-20's. American culture is shifting as the older conservative population is dying off, and as these 20-something cartoon fans come to take their place in society's positions of power, someone somewhere is going to say "Hey, I missed the 2D animated films of the late 20th century, and I'm sure plenty of other people do, so why can't we bring some of them back?" and then fund one.

I doubt it would even take a large company to do it. Someone's going to throw something on Kickstarter or Indiegogo, crowd-source the funding, and get a hit, and suddenly everyone's going to want to copy their success.


I'll be seeing The Wind Rises Tomorrow. I was pretty disappointed by Arietty, but this is a totally different kind of movie, so I'm excited.

[Bamyasi]

Just got back from this. There was a pretty decent turnout for a ten o'clock show, but I guess it was opening night here. The crowd was all young people, and even so there were a lot of really funny lines that absolutely no one laughed at ("The garden would be faster"), which is unusual for theatrical Ghibli releases, as they're usually hilarious in a relaxing and understated way (the highest form of comedy if you ask me).

I will need more time to "digest" it, but I will say this was my favorite film he's done since Mononoke-hime, maybe even Porco Rosso or Kiki's Delivery Service. A lot of critics seem to be complaining that there wasn't enough "drama," maybe because they've never seen a Japanese (or non-Hollywood) movie before. In fact, the absence of drama was one of the things I liked most about it. If a director (or writer) can engage me without needless conflict or overcooked characters, I find it more impressive than the more common alternative (if my bitch-tears are any indication). The main character's apparent detachment toward everything around him (including spoiler) I found deeply affecting. I was also deeply impressed/depressed by Miyazaki's willingness to let one of the characters [spoiler]die.[/spoiler] Also I'm having lots of déjà vu about this movie which either means that it made ripples in my past or I'm becoming schizophrenic.

And anyone judging this film on a political scale can suck an egg.

[rtil]

there were a couple ghibli firsts in this movie, including what you mentioned, as well as the kiss.

[Gilthwixt]

I saw it yesterday with some friends. The theatre was mostly empty, older fans in their 30s who I'm guessing had seen Mononoke as teenagers. I really enjoyed this film, and it still amazes me that Miyazaki can do a WWII era movie and have it whimsical and respectful at the same time.

[spoiler]It hit me pretty hard when she left for the sanitorium the 2nd time "so that he remembers her as she is", since I watched my aunt slowly die after an aneurysm-induced coma and my grandmother die of alzheimer's/stroke immediately after. I didn't openly weep like with the climax of Paranorman but it did tear me up[/spoiler]

My friends liked it too, said they've never seen an anime film with this kind of serious tone, so I'm thinking I'll make them watch Grave of the Fireflies next.

A lot of critics seem to be complaining that there wasn't enough "drama," maybe because they've never seen a Japanese (or non-Hollywood) movie before

I don't know what they're defining drama as. It felt pretty dramatic to me. Arietty in comparison nearly bored me to sleep because barely anything happened in that film.

[rtil]

god, GotF is a constant downward spiral into depression and hell. a great film, but it just leaves this sinking feeling in your gut. anyway, glad you got to see it.

the movie opened in ~450 theaters nationwide yesterday, up from 21. it made $460,000 on friday, a 463.5% jump from last week. pretty respectable although per theater it's nothing special.

i don't think disney did a very good job advertising the film, although i think it would be very difficult to get an average moviegoer to go see it. finding the right 'target' would be pretty difficult in this country. and it's not a "kids" movie.

here's hoping the academy has some small sliver of a soul left and gives the oscar to The Wind Rises instead of Frozen.. but i'm not counting on it.

[Bamyasi]

I thought this would be a shoe-in for the BAF category. It's also better than any of the BP nominees (but that's an understatement). Go figure they'd nominate something like Up but not this.

climax of Paranorman

Only redeeming part of that movie plot-wise, if you ask me.

I don't know what they're defining drama as.

Probably as conflict of interest between characters and whatnot.

Arietty in comparison nearly bored me to sleep because barely anything happened in that film.

Did you see From Up on Poppy Hill? It seems about half of their movies have a more relaxed tone, and the others are more action oriented.

Also probably seeing this again tonight with my girlfriends.

[rtil]

i liked Arietty, it was charming and i found it really relaxing to watch. and of course it was a beautiful movie, one that has to be seen in theaters not only for the art but for the brilliant sound design. i try not to compare ghibli films because they are all so different from eachother, still Arietty is nowhere near the best ghibli film but it has a lot of elements to it that most animation feature directors could learn a lot from.

[soup]

i hope you guys have seen persepolis, it was a pretty cool movie

[rtil]

yeah.. what does that have to do with the wind rises?

[soup]

not much actually

[rtil]

alright