h_jin3

I usually enjoy documentaries. I want to know what caused the financial crisis of 2008. Books like "When Genius Failed," "The Big Short," and "Liar's Poker," really shed light on Wall St's ugly side and the tricks they used to engineer the collapse of 2008. Unfortunately this garbage of a documentary largely fails at explaining anything but instead injects completely biased opinions ranging from Godlessness, to Saul Alinsky as reasons for our economic despair. REALLY?!! This film covers the usual right wing Kool Aid topics like, Hippies, Godlessness, 50's mothers (women), Community Reinvestment Act, ACORN, too much regulation, you've heard all this garbage before on Youtube commentaries but this movie lumps it them in one long propaganda film. The non stop music starts to grate on your nerves and is a shameless attempt to manipulate your emotions. Unfortunately morons will use this film as an echo chamber to their already warped sense of what is happening in this world.

Miyazaki is truly a genius and so is Jo Hisaishi. But in this film their ambitious intentions get in the way of what usually turns out to be a moving, inspiring and beautiful film.

Mononoke Hime fails in that respect because regardless of what people say about the film's ambivalent perspective on the characters/sides it doesn't really teach us much. It merely shows it and that doesn't provide any sort of enlightenment any more than reading a horrific episode of war atrocities of a little known faraway land in the newspaper does. It doesn't go an to emotional level that his other films do. It merely sits at the ferocious level (or game face) of the characters. Which is why we can't really cheer or sympathize with any of the sides. This leads to an indifference regarding all sides and the ending turns out to be unsatisfying as a result. I never really moved by San and Ash, the townspeople, or the Gods. Surprising since I've found other Miyazaki films one of the most moving experiences in cinema matched by only a few films.

The music while the most grand of Jo's works is forgettable. I cannot remember what the soundtrack sounds like. In contrast, I cannot forget the music of Nausicaa or Laputa.

Again the intentions of leaving something unforgettable gets in the way of what these two artists were accustomed to doing and ultimately turns out to be this film's downfall.

Despite being very difficult to find this film (since there is no distribution channel in the US) it is a testament to the film's greatness that it is frequently cited as the best movie the viewer has seen.

When watching the film there is a special feeling (totally devoid when watching most drivel pumped out by formula driven and uninspired studio drones). You know that it is something special. It transcends category (ie Japanimation, animation, children's) and you are transported to another world. The story, animation, music are all crafted with care and inspired devotion. The amazing thing about the film is that it also has one of the best soundtracks to accompany it. Which is also cited by many who have heard it as the best they've heard.

It truly established Miyazaki and Hisaishi (the soundtrack composer) as masters in their field of film making.