Everyone has their pick of their favorite Hayao Miyazaki movie. Polling my friend group in what was supposed to be an easy, select one (and only one) film question, resulted in multiple titles being brought up. From an assertion that…
Movie Review: Long Way North
There’s such a simple grace to the animation in Long Way North that deserved a simpler, more graceful story. This vibrant little animation, coming out of France and Denmark, bears a seemingly straightforward story but every potential for expressive beauty…
The Film Canon: My Neighbor Totoro (1988)
I was a late bloomer in the school of Hayao Miyazaki. All things Studio Ghibli evaded me until my second year of college, which was when I finally settled in to watch everything that I’d been missing and was instantly…
Women in Film Wednesday: Spirited Away (2001)
It’s kind of recognizably sad that one of the best creators of fully faceted, strong-willed female characters is a man. But, considering how dominated by male influence the film industry is, it’s not all that surprising. As cinematic admirers we…
Ally’s Movie Review: Patema Inverted
Considering the magnitude of world building that animation can convey, it’s no mystery as to why Patema Inverted is such a thrilling concept. Mixing Hayao Miyazaki whimsy with tense action, the blueprint for the film is promising. While the visuals…
The Film Canon: Princess Mononoke (1997)
In his landmark study The Hero with a Thousand Faces, American mythologist Joseph Campbell defined what he believed to be the “monomyth.” He summarized it as such: “A hero ventures forth from the world of common day into a region…
David’s Movie Review: The Wind Rises
Rating: 9.5 out of 10 I had been eagerly awaiting the new film, The Wind Rises (Kaze Tachinu) from the Japanese animated filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki, since its trailer hit the internet last fall. I have always been a fan of Miyazaki’s brilliant…