Author: Sarah Vance

  • Hayao Miyazaki’s ‘Spirited Away’ is incredibly beautiful and detailed animation

    Hayao Miyazaki's 'Spirited Away'
    Hayao Miyazaki’s ‘Spirited Away’

    Much as Japanese film director Akira Kurosawa was the Jedi Master of the film school dojo attended by filmmakers Steven Speilberg, George Lucas and Francis Ford Coppola in the seventies, Hayao Miyazaki is the Yoda for the modern American animators at Disney and Pixar. John Lasseter, the director of Toy Story introduces Spirited Away on DVD. Lasseter declares his admiration for Miyazaki, a true auteur of animation, who writes, directs and storyboards all of his feature films from start to finish at his own Studio Ghibli outside of Tokyo, Japan. If you loved Finding Nemo and The Incredibles, then you shouldn’t miss Spirited Away, an animated classic, on DVD.

    Spirited Away follows the transformation of a typical little girl from a whiny brat into a real heroine who is undaunted by any of the many challenges she faces.

    Riding in the backseat of her parents’ car, Chihiro is sullen and belligerent because she has been forced to leave the life she has always known behind when her parents decided to move from Tokyo to the suburbs. Suddenly, as if he is being driven by demons, Chihiro’s father veers off the main road and stops outside of what looks to be an abandoned theme park. Not wanting to be left behind when her parents get out of the car to explore, Chihiro follows them through a darkened tunnel into the unpopulated buildings.

    After her parents are transformed into pigs right in front of her eyes, Chihiro is left alone and forced to fend for herself in an enchanted land filled with spirits and strange, magical creatures. Chihiro is befriended by Haku, a boy spirit, she later learns is able to shape-shift himself into a dragon. Haku tells her what she must do in order to get a job doing hard labor in a bath house that is a kind of day spa for spirit creatures in need of rest and relaxation.

    Chihiro becomes the apprentice of Lin, one of the many workers in the bathhouse. Lin warns her that Haku is not to be trusted. He is the minion of Yubaba, the wicked witch who runs the bath house. Chihiro has to conquer her own fears and face many obstacles in order to rescue her parents from the pig sty before they are slaughtered for a spirit feast.

    Spirited Away is an allegorical fable much like many of the classic Grimm’s fairy tales. The story is fantastical and sometimes difficult to follow, and Spirited Awaypossesses none of the quirky fun, pop culture references, and comedic moments that makes Pixar films favorites of young and old alike. Miyazaki’s storytelling is old-fashioned and the plot is filled with adult metaphors. Aficionados of animation may be the only ones to appreciate some of the visual concepts. And while the hero of the story is a child, the plot may be too convoluted and esoteric for children to follow. There are also a couple of scenes, most notably when Chihiro’s parents are transformed into pigs, that may be too scary for small children.

    But children of all ages will be awed by Miyazaki’s overwhelming visual images. It is Miyazaki’s attention to detail that makes Spirited Away so incredibly awe-inspiring. Miyazaki creates an animated world that is realistic in the small details at the same time that the visual images stretch the boundaries of creativity and imagination in their magical appeal.

    The backgrounds for the action are incredible, and each new creature that is introduced is more fantastic and than the last. The characters of No Face and the Turnip Spirit are particularly notable for how their appearance and movements reveal their on-screen personality. From the small bits of smudge that carry lumps of coal to the furnace in the basement of the bath house, to the amazing scene when Haku transforms into a dragon and takes Chihiro flying high on his back, it is Miyazaki’s attention to even the smallest details of his animation that makes Spirited Away worth watching.

    The DVD version of Spirited Away has only two main bonus features. Both features focus on how the creative team at Walt Disney adapted Miyazaki’s original film for English-speaking audiences. One of the most intriguing moments comes as Miyazaki himself explains how his imagination transformed an occurrence in his real life into something not of this world for Spirited Away. His imagination is obviously unparalleled.

    Miyazaki’s most recent masterpiece, Howl’s Moving Castle, is soon to be theatrically released in the United States. It is certain to be another classic from this undisputed master of animation. Before you buy your tickets, you’ll want to check out Spirited Away on DVD, to understand why Hayao Miyazaki is heralded by his peers and considered to be the modern-day Walt Disney.

  • ‘Bend It like Beckham’ is worth seeing… and seeing again

    Parminder Nagra and Jonathan Rhys-Meyer in 'Bend It Like Beckham'
    Parminder Nagra and Jonathan Rhys-Meyer in ‘Bend It Like Beckham’

    Bend It Like Beckham never would’ve been made if it had been pitched to a studio executive at a major Hollywood studio. A story about the obstacles faced by a young Anglo-Indian teen girl who dreams of becoming a professional soccer player would’ve been deemed too specific. Her problems wouldn’t be of interest to anyone outside of her race, class and culture. But Bend It Like Beckham was an international box office phenomenon when it played in theatres, and seeing it again on DVD, reveals why it has such broad audience appeal. In Bend It Like Beckham, audiences of all ages, races and cultures, can see themselves as they attempt to conquer insurmountable obstacles in pursuit of their individual dreams.

    Bend It Like Beckham loses little in being reduced from the movie screen to the television screen on DVD. The story is the strength of this film and the comedy is just as crisp and laugh out-loud funny as ever.

    Jess Bhamra (Parminder Nagra) dreams of playing professional soccer, which is a next-to-impossible dream according to the constraints of her family’s Indian class and culture. According to her mother, instead of perfecting her considerable talents on the soccer pitch, Jess should be in the kitchen learning how to cook Aloo Gobi, when she isn’t making every effort to make herself more physically alluring for her future husband. For Jess, the daughter of second generation immigrants living in western London, an arranged marriage isn’t out of the question.

    When the beautiful young tomboy Jules (Keira Knightley) catches Jess playing soccer in the park, she asks her to try-out for her team. The two quickly become best friends and co-conspirators in their secret passion for soccer, a game that is scorned by Jules’ mother and forbidden by Jess’ parents.

    The only thing that could come between them, of course, is a handsome young man. Enter their team coach, Joe, played by the sloe-eyed Jonathan Rhys-Meyer, who takes a break from more intense roles in Velvet Goldmine and Michael Collins in Bend It Like Beckham. Joe isn’t impressed with Jess at first. Later he is charmed by Jess’ innocence and their shared love of the game draws them together romantically. But Jules also has a crush on Joe, and the love triangle that develops makes everything a little bit more confusing and complicated.

    Bend It Like Beckham gave Parminder Nagra and Keira Knightley their first feature film roles. It’s nice to see where they started as they’ve both since gone on to greater success in Hollywood. Knightley’s next film was the box office smash Pirates of the Caribbean opposite teen heart-throb Orlando Bloom and Johnny Depp. And Parminder Nagra has become a regular on the cast of the television drama ER.

    Jonathan Rhys-Meyer underplays his role as Joe, the soccer coach who catches the fancy of both leading ladies. Rhys-Meyer’s subtle and gentle portrayal adds an element of mystery to the on-screen romance. Juliet Stevenson, as Jules’ mother, steals every scene that she’s in. Normally a staple of period films, Stevenson stretches herself as a woman who fears she will never be able to reach Jules, her only child and only daughter, who seems to exist in constant defiance of stereotypic male and female sex roles.

    The director of Bend It Like Beckham, Gurinder Chadha, has obviously been influenced by the films of Bollywood. Every frame of this film is packed with all of the color and vitality that is essential to Indian filmmaking. In the “making of” video on the DVD, Chadha reveals that Bend It Like Beckham is the most autobiographical of all of her movies, which is probably why this film seems to paint such a realistic portrait of modern family life.

    Using her own family as extras in the wedding celebration scenes, Chadha includes all of the stuff that only happens at big family gatherings — high-spirited dancing, a couple making out in the ladies restroom, and a drunken argument that turns into a family brawl in the back room. Chadha’s commentary also reveals what the important role music plays in this film. From the upbeat music cue that introduces Jess’ talent at handling of a soccer ball, to the use of the opera aria, “Nessun Dorma”, when Jess finally manages to “bend a ball” like Beckham, music plays a very important and specific role. The music cues are all buoyant and bright and some are hilarious re-records of popular western music by Indian artists. All of the music emphasizes the youth and vitality on display in Bend It Like Beckham.

    Bonus features on the DVD include commentary from the director Gurinder Chadha and her husband and co-writer, Paul Mayeda Berges. The making of this film was a family affair and together they share many of the happy memories they remember that took place off-camera during the filming of Bend It Like Beckham.

    The DVD also includes 10 deleted/extended scenes that were eliminated from the final edit of the film, a music video and a short (and often hilarious) film hosted by Gurinder Chadha and her mother about “how to” make Aloo Gobi. Most of the deleted scenes that are included on the DVD would’ve done little to enhance the main storyline. It is easy to guess why they were not included in the final cut. But a couple of the scenes, most notably a wonderfully acted scene between Jess and her sister, Pinkie beautifully played by Archie Panjabi, reveal the depth of the acting talent of Bend It Like Beckham’s entire cast.

    If you missed it in the theatre, check out Bend It Like Beckham on DVD. And even if you caught it in the theatre, you’ll want to catch it again on DVD. It’s just the thing to cure the mid-winter blahs.