Film Review: Sita sings the Blues

Nina Paley is an American born cartoonist and animator who before her recent work such as Sita sings the Blues, dwelled mostly in comic strips such as Nina's Adventures and Fluff. Judging by Sita sings the Blues, Paley's style reflects her artistic background through the incorporation of the comic strip style that runs throughout the duration of the film. Not only the style is a direct link to Paley's life but the storyline in the film is influenced by a trip she made to India with her then husband and a spiritual journey she went on through reading the Indian epic, the Ramayana. The style of the film is what makes it intriguing. the visual style used is abstract with a variety of animation styles and techniques that depict the same story but in different moods. The narrative style is very conversational and whimsical telling the story through the light-hearted conversation of three Indian shadow puppets. The film also incorporates a musical style into the film breaking into 'blues' type singalongs.

The film through this trio of narrators tells the story of Rama and his wife Sita, covering how they met, Sita's kidnapping their life after this incident and so on. All throughout this, another story is being told alongside. The true story of director Nina Paley's marriage coming to an end but shown in relevance to the ancient mythological story of Rama and Sita. Key characters in the film obviously are Rama and Sita as the story revolves around their relationship but also Nina Paley and her ex-husband as their story was intertwined into the plot.

I felt like with the film, Paley was attempting to depict the ups and downs of relationships and by conveying her relationship side by side with that of an ancient mythical being like Sita, she is attempting to highlight the similarities in these kind of relationships despite the time period or cultural surrounding. As far as the exemplification of relationships, Paley succeeded in doing this with a combination of different animation styles and light-hearted humor to keep the audience intrigued. However, the story she chose to narrate is not one that would interest those who are not open-minded to the message she is attempting to portray. So for this reason I wouldn't personally recommend this film despite feeling that it was well made, the relatability of the film does not favor the masses.

Film Review: Waltz with Bashir

Ari Folman is an Israeli film director and score composer born to Holocaust survivors in 1962. His most renowned previous work is film Saint Clara which won multiple awards in Israel including Ophir award for best film, best directing and best supporting act. Waltz with Bashir is most highly distinguished by its distinct visual style using a unique form of animation which was developed by Yoni Goodman and compiling it with very cinematic directing and musical scores. The result of this is a very theatrical visual spectacle. Also, despite the film being completely animated it still contains dark hues and unsubtle eerie visual themes to match the dark overall feel of the film and storyline. The film is set in modern day Israel but with constant referral to 1980's Israel during the Lebanon war. For these reasons the film is currently banned in Lebanon. Ari Folman himself stars in the film playing himself in the present day and when he was a young soldier. By casting himself as the protagonist of a film about his own experiences creates a very natural and unbiased viewpoint for the viewer assisting in the fluidity of the film.

Along with constant reference to the Lebanese war, the film circulates around Folman, upon the advise of a childhood friend, interviewing old comrades and fellow soldiers from the war inorder to retrieve lost memories from the Sabra and Shatila massacre in Beirut. The film uses flashbacks of Folman and the interviewees to depict the nitty gritty realities of the war first hand while also intertwining the personal experiences of the interviewee.

I feel the film was an attempt to bring light of the horrific events of the war to the rest of the world, using one of the most horrific aspects of it (the Sabra and Shatila massacre) as the main focus of the storyline. I feel using animation to do this was very effective as the themes and images conveyed in the film are not ones we usually associate with animation, which we find intriguing. In many senses it achieved what it set out to do as it has won and been nominated for multiple international awards such as Golden globe award for Best foreign language film, Academy award for best foreign language film and BAFTA for best film not in the English language. I would personally recommend this film, despite the language barrier, as it is a good watch and is historically informative.

Film Review: Paprika

Satoshi Kon was a Japanese film animator and screen director. He is most renowned for his previous works like Tokyo Godfathers and Millennium Actress which were fairly successful in the anime genre at their individual times of release. As a Japanese animator Kon's style reflects the Japanese visual culture with very up tempo scenes and a refined style of anime but in his last few works including Paprika incorporated what seems to be 3d animation to his work in the more complex scenes. In Paprika, dreams and the subconscious is a consistent theme aesthetically expressed through the surreal style Kon used to animate. The morphing and transforming of objects was animated very successfully and worked well for visual spectacle. Also repeating and looping of scenes really helped in depicting this idea of dreams and reality interweaving. The film stars all-Japanese cast of singer and radio personality Megumi Hayashibara, actor and narrator Katsunosuke Hori, Toru Furuya and Toru Emori. Hayashibara voiced Jessie from team rocket in Pokemon and also Ash's Bulbasaur, Pidgeotto and Goldeen.

The film follows a team of psychotherapists in the near future who invented a device allowing one to view and even enter someone else's dream. When people begin to become delusional and witness some of the patients subconsciouses whilst wide awake, they turn to one of their team members subconscious alter-egos for help. Paprika who comes across as the main protagonist is a quirky and eccentric and fun character yet always seems to save the day flawlessly whereas Dr Atsuko Chiba who is the conscious alter-ego of Paprika is the complete opposite, cold, seemingly emotionless and not much fun at all. The film comes across as Atsuko's journey of the discovery of her true self and the similarities her and Paprika really have.

Similarly to the Christopher Nolan film inception I feel Paprika is an attempt to explore the complexities of the human mind, highlight the fact that dreams are one of life's only things that we all  as humans experience but can never completely share and to visually demonstrate what would happen if we could share these experiences. In this context the film succeeded however I felt watching the film that what Kon accomplished visually he lacked in dialogue and character interaction. The dialogue was too direct and not creative enough in explaining things. But overall I really enjoyed this film and would recommend it. Although I found the soundtrack abit annoying it suited the scenes it was in. And the storyline was not a simplistic linear one you would expect from an animation so it did well.

Film Review: Mary and Max

          Adam Elliot is an Australian independent stop-motion animation director and writer. He is best known for his animated shorts Harvie Krumpet, Uncle, Cousin and Brother and of course the feature length film Mary and Max. The very stylized aesthetic to Mary and Max is similar to all of Elliot's other work using his consistent black and white theme and very facially aged and deformed characters. Although the film has subtle humor splashed around throughout, it also has a bleak undertone which is emphasized by his choice of the black and white palette in max's scenes and shown also through the theme of death which is circulated around the storyline frequently with the deaths of Mary's Grandfather, Father, Mother and Max's Neighbor. The film stars Australian comedian Barry Humphries as the Narrator who is best known for his on-stage alter ego as Dame Edna Everage, late American actor Philip Seymour Hoffman as Max, Australian actress and musician Toni Collette as Mary and Australian/American actor Eric Bana as Damian.

          The story revolves around the lives of Mary an 8 year old girl from Australia unable to find friends and Max a morbidly obese 44 year old suffering from Aspergers syndrome. The film gives an insight on both their lives and shows how they change as a result of their unlikely friendship through sending each other letters. The story also introduces the odd and unfortunate lives of other characters in both their settings such as Damian - Mary's crush from across the street, Len Hislop - Mary's agoraphobic neighbor, Noel and Vera Dinkle - Mary's obsessive father and alcoholic mother and Ivy - Max's partially blind neighbor.

          I think through this film Elliot is attempting to demonstrate the futility and fastpased nature of life in order to as a result promote valuing relationships with people and making the most frienships. In the film a theme of desolation ran through, almost every character was alone in one form or the other and as a result had their own way of dealing with it. Mary's mother used alcohol to fill the gap in her life, her father used his obsession with his dead birds, even Ivy Max's neighbor used making him soup on Sundays as a way to feel less alone. However, Elliot used the protagonists Max and Mary to show that even at your lowest point in life, a true and loving friend has the ability to create meaning to your existence and fill the void that loneliness and depression creates. The warm soundtrack that usually changes when Mary is onscreen brings a happy vibe to contrast from the dull, bleak and grey coloured visuals and the concept of having black and white in Max's scenes and a slight sepia colour for Mary's works very well, it acts as a visual depiction that Mary brought colour into Max's life. I feel the film achieved its aim perfectly because all aspects of it, the visuals, sound and so on tie into this theme and authenticate it giving the viewer a warm sensation of appreciation for their friendship at the end. I would recommend this film solely so that the audience can also feel satisfying warm feeling also.

Archetypes: The Goodfellas

The Hero: Henry Hill - Henry Hill is the protagonist of the film, although what his story is about does not necessarily make him worthy to be called a 'hero', the film is narrated by him and is a true story based on his life.

The Sidekick: Tommy DeVito - Tommy was with Henry when they were young and were being taught about the life of crime by Jimmy Conway and stayed beside him ever since.

The Maiden: Karen Hill - Karen was the girl in the film that caught Henry's eye and although he found another woman later on in the film we was interested in, he still ended up back with Karen by the end of the film. Everything that Henry went through she went through.

The Wise Old man: Paul Cicero - Although many would label Jimmy Conway the wise old man because he was the person that Henry initially looked up to and eventually ended up taking under his wing, I think Paul Cicero is better suited because he is the wiser and older version of Jimmy and is who Henry took direct orders from at a time where Jimmy seemed to be depicted as more of an equal to Henry rather than a mentor.

The Mother: Tommy's Mother - Throughout the duration of the film Tommy's mum is the only person that conveys the qualities of a realistic mother of a mafia member. 

The Child: Spider - Spider is depicted to the audience as the young and innocent boy who works in the bar and is used by the director to portray extent of Tommy's recklessness when he kills him just because he finally stood up to Tommy's abuse. Alternatively, Tommy can be seen as the child as he is the small and uncontrollable one out of the trio who is always getting them into something.

The Shadow: The Gambino Family - There are many interpretations on who could be the shadow as Henry, Tommy and Jimmy, the main protagonists could be seen as the shadow themselves. However in regards to who is the shadow to the trio I would think it to be the Gambino Family who were the Highest mafia bosses and were who eventually had Tommy killed as revenge for Billy Batts, a made man and presumed member of the family.

The Shapeshifter: Jimmy Conway - Jimmy Conway is the shapeshifter because towards the end of the film when Henry was labelled a 'snitch', Jimmy became a more darker character in the perspective of the audience as he seemed he would 'get rid of' Henry just as Henry witnessed him do to countless others. 

The Trickster: Tommy DeVito - Tommy is also seen as the trickster because he is getting himself Jimmy and Henry into trouble with his antics and short temper and it was this quality that resulted in his death just over mid-way of the film.

The Hero's Journey: Shrek

       Although this film isn't as straight forward as other Hero Journey films, I still felt that it had very strong elements of one.


1. Ordinary world - In Shrek the ordinary world is his main comfort zone and place of sanctuary, his swamp.

2. Call to Adventure - Shrek's call to adventure is his need to go and ask Lord Farquaad for his land back after his comfort is promptly disturbed by fairytail creatures Farquaad exiled there.

Alternatively it could be the task Farquaad gave Shrek when he got to Duloc (Free princess Fiona from the castle)

3. Refusal to the call - His refusal was not directly to the cause but was to undergoing this adventure with Donkey who eventually persuades him to let him tag along.

Or it could be when Shrek literally turned down Lord Farquaads task until he offered him his swamp back

4. Meeting the Mentor -  When Shrek met donkey, who claimed to know where Duloc and therefore where Farquaad was. Donkey also claimed to know how to get to the castle where the princess was.

5. Crossing the Threshold - When Shrek and Donkey left the swamp and started their adventure to Duloc

Or when they left Duloc to go and free the princess from the castle.

6. Tests, Allies and Enemies - Shrek meeting Donkey, Shrek and Donkey defeating wrestlers at Duloc, Dragon, Lord Farquaad

7. Approach - Saving Princess Fiona from the castle

8. The Ordeal, Death & Rebirth - After freeing Fiona Shrek falls in love and attains a new perspective on life and how he views the world.

9. The Reward, Seizing the sword - Handing Fiona over to Farquaad and receiving his swamp back.

10. The Road back - Shrek leaves friendship with Donkey and returns back to his swamp which is now vacant again

11. Ressurection - Donkey returns to Shrek's swamp and persuades him to go back to Duloc for Fiona with the help of Dragon who was freed from her confinement and followed Donkey.

12. Return with Elixir - Shrek and Donkey return to the swamp with Fiona and they celebrate their love and get married.

Film Review: Only God Forgives

Only God Forgives

Film Review: Suspiria

Suspiria

Film Review: The Shining

The Shining

Film Review - Repulsion

Repulsion

Film Review: Black Narcissus

Black Narcissus

Film Review: Edward Scissorhands

Edward Scissorhands

Film Review: La Belle et la Bete

La Belle et la Bete

Film Review: Alien

Alien

Film Review: 2001 A Space Odyssey

Space Odyssey

Film Review: King Kong

King Kong

Film Review: Metropolis

Metropolis

Film Review: Das Cabinet des Dr Caligari

Das Cabinet Des Dr Caligari