For some reason I went nearly full-Japan this month with my TV and movie consumption. I regret nothing.
Star Wars Sequels
My son and I embarked on our Star Wars sequel adventure with The Force Awakens. He was very much looking forward to seeing Kylo Ren. At some point in the past I had shown him a clip of the showdown Ren has at the end of the film with two heroes, and he eagerly anticipated seeing it in context. This is a super fun movie with some great performances. Its main weakness is that it is derivative, hewing too closely to the original film.
Gosh darn, among all the Star Wars movies, The Last Jedi has the best ideas. On heroism, on growth, on morality. It wasn't what many audiences expected, but I think it's something special. Some indelible images too.
The Rise of Skywalker is a lot of fun. It had the impossible task of concluding it's own erratic trilogy while also concluding the 9-part Skywalker Saga. It suffers from having way too much to accomplish. Highlights for me include Threepio's humor and the introduction of Babu Frik.
Godzilla
I'd never seen any of the Godzilla films, but I was tempted when I spotted some on streaming. I wanted to watch something relatively brainless and low and behold, giant lizards stomping on Tokyo. I decided to watch two older films and two newer films.
I started with the original, 1954's Godzilla. It's iconic. The monster design, effects, and music all impress. I wonder if I'm in the minority here, but I liked the melodramatic human story. This is a real sci-fi classic, so pervasive in the culture that it never really occurred to me to watch it.
Mothra vs. Godzilla appeared on a lot of lists of the best Godzilla films, so I tried it next. It's very silly, and that's great. The three people at the center of the story are utterly flavorless but the side characters are great though.
Shin Godzilla is 80% bureaucracy and 20% Godzilla, and the Godzilla part rips. Would recommend. I was particularly taken with the monster design and execution. This dead-eyed monster honors the man-in-the-suit execution of yore, but it's not a man in a suit, it's computer-generated. It's so eerie. Otherworldly.
Finally, I watched Godzilla Minus One which I expected to like best of all. The human story is more substantial here; more complex and better realized. This was an aspect that felt missing to me in the previous two entries I watched. But it also takes up most of the time, leaving precious little Godzilla action. Overall I give it good marks.
Japanese Cinema
The Face of Another is an interesting Japanese Sci-fi that reminded me very much of Seconds. This film features such a strange juxtaposition. The story makes total literal sense, but occasionally avant garde imagery appears that beggars interpretation, or at least defies mine. On first watch, I found this collision a bit offputting, but I can imagine that on rewatch I may formulate an understanding of the visuals that deepens my appreciation. Another film that comes to mind is Eyes Without a Face.
Rashomon is an incredibly deft work of philosophy and filmmaking by the legendary Akira Kurosawa. Epistemology is my favorite flavor of philosophy, and I'm not sure I've watched a movie that so acutely demonstrates the absolute morass that we get into when we examine the limits, and therefore validity, of what we know. It's visually stunning too.
Japanese Animation
Millennium Actress is an animated film by Satoshi Kon, featuring his calling cards of dreamlike themes and imagery. Kon's characters have deep and realistic psychological profiles. It seems he was interested in exploring the dark and bright sides of humanity as they complete within individuals. He was also a master of structure. As I watched this movie I marveled at how he braided plots and themes together. I've tried to write like that, so I know how hard it is. This is an impressive work that I found both sweet and sad.
I fell in love with the anime Dan Da Dan immediately. It's strange, funny, romantic, and action-packed. It has wonderful characters and super stylish animation. It's so wonderful to discover something you love. Currently impatiently awaiting season 2.
Misc
La Haine is a striking French crime drama centered on three friends from an impoverished urban community. I found myself caught up in these characters, worried for them. The whole film feels like a powder keg that might go off, if events should happen to go evenly slightly wrong. An affecting work.
This Is Spinal Tap may have invented the mockumentary genre. It's clever without being controlled. I think I prefer later takes on the genre, like Best in Show, but this one blazed the trail. I'm glad I filled in this blind spot.
I feel mixed about Down by Law. It's often sparse; there is little going on in terms of action, dialogue, or visuals. Its tone is uneven. It offers a character study of some almost completely unsympathetic losers. And then everything's fine and funny? I don't know. It's the first film I've seen by Jim Jarmusch, and based on it, I won't be rushing to see the next.
Mad God is a nightmare-fueled stop motion curio by Phil Tippet. Tippet is famous for his animations in the Star Wars films and other works. My disappointment here is that there's not really a story. Things happen. And then more things happen. Because of this, it feels like the movie drags on and on. On the plus side, the audacious visuals are something to behold.
