The Lord of the Rings
After sharing the Star Wars saga with the kid, it was time to tour another classic trilogy, Peter Jackson's The Lord of the Rings.
Tolkien was obviously an individual whose ideas ran deep, especially those about humanity and the nature of good and evil. His epic fantasy tale is masterfully wrought.
I'm partial to the first film in this saga, but my son thinks each movie improves upon the last.
West German film
The American Friend is a 1977 international crime thriller from Wim Wenders. I've enjoyed his work in the past so I thought I'd give this one a shot. True to form, Wenders' film boasts beautiful cinematography and complex, tortured characters. I have sort of been on a quest to find 70s movies that I like, and this one fit the bill!
Speaking of Wenders, a movie he recommends is The Bridge, a striking 1959 West German anti-war film about everyday teen boys who, in the final days of the war, itching to become soldiers, find their wish granted. I was rapt in their harrowing tale and now I, like Wim, recommend this one.
Dragon Ball
Continuing the Japanese streak from last month, my kids and I really dug into Dragon Ball. Previously we completed Dragon Ball Z Kai, Dragon Ball Super, and the TV special The History of Trunks.
Dragon Ball DAIMA is a canonical addition to the Dragon Ball saga, squeezed into a period after the events of Z and before the events of Super. It features some pretty dazzling fight animations near the end.
Dragon Ball GT is not the best Dragon Ball. Unlike the other TV series, it does not adapt creator Akira Toriyama's manga. Neither the story nor animation impress. There are some cool character designs and ideas, but it doesn't hold together. It feels ersatz because it is.
We also watched some of the TV specials and movies.
Dragon Ball Z: Broly - The Legendary Super Saiyan originates a fan favorite character, the titular warrior Broly, but its weak story and distracting plot holes hold it back.
Dragon Ball Super: Broly on the other hand is some of the best Dragon Ball I've seen. Great new characters, character depth, tons of exciting action. Me and the kids loved this one!
Whoever was making Dragon Ball Z TV specials in the 90s seemed to want to recapture the magic of DBZ's greatest villain, the space sociopath Frieza, so they introduced his brother, Cooler. The first Cooler film is Cooler's Revenge, and it does what it says on the tin; it's a straight-forward revenge story, nothing too complex. Where it really shines though is in its animation; from beginning to end it is dazzling to look at. The second film is The Return of Cooler. Its animation isn't as grand, but its villain design is neat and its story is more robust.
Misc
The Circus is a 1928 Charlie Chaplin picture, and it's a total delight. This is a fun-for-the-whole-family recommendation.
I had watched two Douglas Sirk-directed pictures last year and neither of them really did it for me, but I was still curious and this month I finally got my hands on a copy of All That Heaven Allows. I really liked it! A beautiful drama/romance. I hope to continue my Sirk journey.
The Tale of the Princess Kaguya is a Studio Ghibli film my kids and I had not seen. We were impressed by the unique art style. As is often the case with Ghibli movies, this film feels like it was created by someone with a big heart. There are little movements observed from real life that make their way into the animation which hint at what careful students the filmmakers are of nature and people. It's gorgeous, exuberant, and melancholy. Wonderful.
Andor is a prestige TV spy/action thriller, set in the Star Wars universe. I was never the biggest fan of Rogue One, I think it's a bit of a mish-mash of writing and editing, with two utterly bland lead characters. This TV show had all the time in the world to develop one of those leads, Cassian Andor, into a character one can understand and care for. It develops several new characters this way too, and it's sad to say goodbye to them. This second and final season builds to a wonderful crescendo. I was hooked til the end.
Golden Boy is what happens in 1995 when you cook up an anime with 1 part cleverness, 1 part humor, and 2 parts horny. If that sounds like a recommendation to you, godspeed.
