Thirty years after defeating the Galactic Empire, Han Solo and his allies face a new threat from the evil Kylo Ren and his army of Stormtroopers.
I still think that, comparatively, this is one of the better films outside the original trilogy but it’s still pretty bad.
This time I was struck by the scene in which Han and Leia explain their relationship to each other…
★★★
Thirteen-year-old Mei is experiencing the awkwardness of being a teenager with a twist – when she gets too excited, she transforms into a giant red panda.
This review may contain spoilers.
I watched this with my 11 year old daughter and, as an armchair feminist, I was so confused…
[Some spoilers ahead]
The panda as a metaphor for hormones, coming-of-age and finding your true self – works 100% for me. Big thumbs up, I liked it. I liked Mei and her weird friends a lot. The fact that Mom suspects first period, when panda first appears, is also quite funny and sweet and positive. In fact, not mentioning it, given the circumstances, would feel like an omission. So, that’s really great.
However, during Mom’s subsequent stalking, presumably prompted by concern regarding panda, she bizarrely decides to use first period as a cover story. This weirdly entangles the two themes, resulting in both appearing as a potential source of embarrasment and shame AND then later something to be trapped, controlled and hidden. So, that all felt really negative.
But, I can’t tell if that entanglement was entirely unintended. Maybe that’s an intended reflection of societal attitudes: little girls, stay in your box and keep your feminity hidden?
[Major spoilers ahead]
If that’s the case, I don’t feel like the movie goes on to challenge that. If anything, it leans into it. At the end, I found myself hoping that all the women would keep their “panda” and celebrate it.
Ultimately, I’m not sure what an 11 y/o girl takes away from this.
★★★½ (contains spoilers)
While the Second World War rages, the teenage Mahito, haunted by his mother's tragic death, is relocated from Tokyo to the serene rural home of his new stepmother Natsuko, a woman who bears a striking resemblance to the boy's mother. As he tries to adjust, this strange new world grows even stranger following the appearance of a persistent gray heron, who perplexes and bedevils Mahito, dubbing him the "long-awaited one."
It was OK. Certainly one of Ghibli/Miyazaki’s more “mature” entries in terms of the themes but still plenty of Alice in Wonderland whimsy/whackiness.
Sadly, I’ve reached the age where I am burdened with recognising voices but being completely unable to recall where from. Sad times.
★★★½
Ben Mears has returned to his hometown to write a book about the supposedly haunted Marsten House. When people around the Marsten House start dying mysteriously, Mears discovers that the owner of the mansion is actually a vampire who is turning them into an army of undead slaves.
Honestly, parts of this were comically bad. The performances are decent, though. Seems the art of looking absolutely terrified has been somewhat lost since.
★★★
Years after resigning command of an elite military police unit, the nomadic, righter-of-wrongs Reacher is drawn back into the life he left behind when his friend and successor, Major Susan Turner is framed for espionage. Reacher will stop at nothing to prove her innocence and to expose the real perpetrators behind the killings of his former soldiers.
When Ellen and Paul’s son Josh introduces his new girlfriend at their 25th anniversary party, no one suspects that it is the beginning of the end for this happy family. The new girlfriend is Liz, Ellen’s former student, who left the university, some years before, after Ellen called her out in class for her radical ideology.
Stumbled upon my wife watching this, probably around the start of the second act, and stayed to the end. The film making is pretty lightweight but the story certainly grabs your attention. Thought about it a lot over the next few days.
★★★½
Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet's exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence-a commodity capable of unlocking humanity's greatest potential-only those who can conquer their fear will survive.
I liked it a bit more this time but, I dunno, Arrakis is so… bland. On paper, I should love it. It’s a hard-sci-fi with some mysticism and lots of punch-ups. And it is incredible how much vibrance the cinematography squeezes from desert biege and concrete grey but…
It’s like the polar opposite of Avatar, which I could watch on mute and still have a pretty great experience. Now, obviously, that’s quite an indictment of the Avatar screenplay but isn’t film a visual medium?
★★★★
Cast out from his clan, a young Predator finds an unlikely ally in a damaged android and embarks on a treacherous journey in search of the ultimate adversary.
On IMDB, a reviewer says: “a beat-for-beat Disney-style adventure film”
Well, I don’t remember any Disney films with dismemberment in the first 10 minutes, so if someone could put me on to those I’d like to check them out.
Watched it with my 14 y/o, we enjoyed it plenty!
★★★★
Ashitaka, a prince of the disappearing Emishi people, is cursed by a demonized boar god and must journey to the west to find a cure. Along the way, he encounters San, a young human woman fighting to protect the forest, and Lady Eboshi, who is trying to destroy it. Ashitaka must find a way to bring balance to this conflict.
Generally I enjoy the escapism of film but I am entirely onboard with the tragedy of the relentlessly honourable Prince Ashitaka. Luckily, the human race has been graced by a few people like him, so there is hope for us yet.
★★★★★
Science teacher Ryland Grace wakes up on a spaceship light years from home with no recollection of who he is or how he got there. As his memory returns, he begins to uncover his mission: solve the riddle of the mysterious substance causing the sun to die out. He must call on his scientific knowledge and unorthodox ideas to save everything on Earth from extinction… but an unexpected friendship means he may not have to do it alone.
