Annyeonghaseyo yeorobun, that's Korean for "Hello everybody." Who's excited for new Thursday Movie Picks?!! *cricket sound* *gosh I'm lame and cliche* In case you never heard of TMP, Thursday Movie Picks is a weekly film recommendation that's hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves. Just check out the blog if you want to join TMP or search for film recommendation.
Anyway, this week theme is.....ANIMATED MOVIES! I'm super excited because this week's theme is easy...okay, not that easy. I rarely watch non-mainstream animation and European animation. Heck, I haven't watched Mary and Max (it's from Australia btw). So I'm really sorry if my films are pretty mainstream.
Akira (Katsuhiro Otomo, 1988)
I'm still trying to understand the fact that Sir Ridley Scott and Stanley Kubrick didn't involve directly in this film. I haven't watched Blade Runner (please don't kill me) but some critics said that there are some traces of Blade Runner in Akira. So I guess it's like Blade Runner teams up with A Clockwork Orange.
Even if the animation isn't as smooth and polished as Disney, Akira has mindblowing moments too. A little warning for the plot though, 'cause it will fuck your mind.
Howl's Moving Castle (Hayao Miyazaki, 2004)
I always smash my head to the wall whenever I'm reminded that I didn't get to watch "The Wind Rises" in cinema.
What I like about this film is how blatantly plain Sophie is (the main character) and how she never hides her 'role' as next-door girl, but she also has power, passion, and confidence beyond those things. If Beauty and the Beast is about loving other people, then Howl's Moving Castle is about loving who you are.
By the way, I used to have a HUGE crush on Howl. Especially when Christian Bale voices him. Dang, he's really good when he's not in Batman's voice. But I'm still upset that Howl's characterization isn't as crafted as Sophie.
Coraline (Henry Sellick, 2009)
So far, Coraline is the scariest horror animation film I've ever watched. I don't understand why, but Monster House never succeed in scaring me like Coraline. But I have to say that "scaring" is an overstatement. Giving me chills, I guess?
The animation is charming, the color is dazzling, and the plot is...fun. I know it's a softened version of haunted house stories, but the animation and the screenplay make the softened "haunted house" quite fresh.
Bonus: Robin Hood (Wolfgang Reitherman, 1973)
I always have a thing for animal and dystopia film. And Disney's Robin Hood is a mix of those! Well, if you can consider Robin Hood's universe as dystopia or semi-dystopia.
