BYOH - Bring Your Own History

I lost my Dad on January the 11th of this year. Derek Wain passed away following a bout of pneumonia in his care home aged 66. Had he lived a few months longer, I suspect in his weakened state he would have been likely to succumb to the covid-19 virus that has ravaged care homes up and down the country, especially in the UK epicentre of the virus (London), where my Dad lived. My Dad suffered from early-onset dementia as a result of alcohol abuse that plagued the majority of his adult life. 

We had a complicated relationship that was not always identifiable as a father-son connection. My parents divorced when I was an infant and I would usually see my Dad two or three times a year for a week at a time or a long weekend. I would travel from Teesside and my Dad would travel from London, meeting somewhat in the middle at my grandparents’ house in Leeds. I can’t pretend I remember a great deal from our time together when I was younger beyond trips to the swimming pool and the cinema. My teenage experiences with my Dad are the first I can remember with clarity, and in retrospect the first warning signs of his addiction to alcohol. We would go out for food frequently, inevitably to a pub that had a menu and when we weren’t eating out, we usually spent time in snooker halls. Anywhere where my Dad could get a pint. I won’t pretend I don’t have fond memories of these times, because I loved (and still love) playing snooker and I loved just spending time with him even if the relationship never felt parental.  

Over the better part of ten years since, I have been in a state of diluted resentment towards my Dad. Despite my misgivings about him, I resented that he wasn’t in my life more. I wanted the relationship that most people got with their Dad growing up. I appreciated that I had experienced a good upbringing that many people would envy, but all the same I resented what I had missed out on. My Dad was not someone who made longstanding connections and relationships with many people. You could argue he didn’t have any real friends. His personality traits made relationships difficult for him. My Dad was quick to snap out, easy to agitate and often savagely criticised or put down other people without fair cause. I should note that my Dad was rarely anything but genial to me personally, but I’ve seen enough of his interactions with others and heard enough stories from other people for that to be fair comment. So it wasn’t his friends or social life that kept him in London. Neither was it his work. At different times, I’ve known my Dad to be a carpenter, joiner, private members’ club concierge, bus driver and a delivery driver. Those are just the jobs I know about. Aside perhaps from his time as a concierge in a Mayfair private members club, a period in which he claims to have known the snooker legend Steve Davis and have beaten in a single frame shoot-out, his various jobs could have been found more or less anywhere else in the country. So perhaps you can see why I had resentment as to why he chose to live 250 miles away. 

My Dad’s addiction to alcohol led first to a significant mental breakdown around 2007 in which he dropped almost entirely off radar for the better part of three years, living from what I can gather between various institutions and hostels. I will never get the full story regardless of how much I dig. His phone had been cut off, his flat repossessed by the bank and he had always been a Luddite when it came to technology, so was untraceable via the internet. I only know what I know thanks to his eventual social worker who got in contact with me following two years of failure on my part to find him. From what I understand, he disassociated for a time period and could barely remember who he was, hence the difficulty in finding him. The breakdown he experienced was probably the result of an untreated personality disorder that he was never officially diagnosed with, or at least this is the opinion of various social workers who have worked patiently with him, and an opinion I’m inclined to agree with. So perhaps my resentment has been unfair. Perhaps my Dad used alcohol as a coping mechanism for a problem he was not getting the right help for, for problems that until relatively recently were not taken seriously enough. As far as I know my Dad never sought help for his mental illness and I suspect this is probably true of many men of his generation. I can relate. There will possibly be people reading this who have known me very well for a long time who know little or next to nothing about my Dad. The fact that my Dad was not entirely at fault for his often selfish decisions and actions is honestly of little comfort. If anything, the revelation feels like an invalidation of my thoughts and feelings.

After a period of stabilisation, my Dad lived out his final years in a care home in London. Were it possible I could have cared for him personally or at least relocated him further North I would have, but I was advised against it on many occasions. His dementia left him with perfect recoil of the past, seemingly up to the point of his breakdown, but left no sponge to make new memories. Every time I visited him he would ask about how I was doing at university and I rarely had the heart to correct him that it had been over a decade since I’d been. This period was probably the longest time he’d been sober in 30 years.

So why am I writing about this on pop culture website? Don’t I have a personal blog or a diary? The answer is no to both, but bear with me, because the art of cinema provoked this article. 

Shortly before the start of the Covid-19 lockdown I visited the cinema to see the latest Pixar offering Onward, starring the voice cast of Chris Pratt, Tom Holland and Julia-Louis Dreyfus among others. Any readers who also listen to the podcast will know that I gave it a good review, commenting that while it was perhaps not the finest film Pixar had ever made, it was well-directed, with good performances and hit the right emotional notes. This was a cop out. Onward had a huge emotional impact on me and might be one of the most intense cinematic experiences I have ever had. 

The plot of Onward centres on two brothers who live in a world in which the inhabitants are all magical creatures such as elves or centaurs. Their world has been left devoid of much of its former magic thanks to technology. There are spoilers ahead, this is your warning. On the 16th birthday of the younger brother (voiced by Tom Holland), both brothers receive a magical staff from their long-deceased father with the magical power to bring him back for one day only. The older brother (voiced by Chris Pratt) experienced some time with their Dad before he passed away, while the younger brother experienced nearly none. Inevitably the brothers fuck the spell up and accidentally only bring back his lower half, leading to a quest to find another magical stone in time to bring back the rest of him before the spell wears off. The narrative for the most part is formulaic, with ups and downs and an inevitable huge fight between the brothers leaving their quest in apparent tatters. At this stage the younger brother begins to cross things off his list of things he wanted to do with his Dad that now could not happen. One by one he crosses items off before realising that he had experienced most of the very usual father-son experiences through his older brother. The brothers find the magical stone later in the film with minutes to spare, but a dragon attacks (the details as to why aren’t important). The younger brother makes the selfless decision to hold off the dragon with his new-found magical abilities so his older brother can finally say his goodbye to their Dad. For one of only a few occasions at the cinema I was in tears. I have never had a brother and my Dad did not die till I was 32, so my experiences don’t match up with the characters of Onward, putting aside the dragons and wizards, but the emotional core of the film resonated with me. I did not experience the normal experiences most sons experience with their actual father, but I was never without people to guide me and I did have a father-figure that I didn’t appreciate well enough at the time in my Step-Dad Mike. 

Image credit: Disney/Pixar

Reading the plot of Onward or actually watching the film may not stir anything emotionally in you personally. I stand by the criticisms of the film being largely formulaic and often unoriginal. It doesn’t match up to the quality of Inside Out. Quoting Mark Kermode quoting Roger Ebert, films are like a machine for creating empathy. That empathy is often empathy towards a narrative you have nothing in common with personally, but perhaps peaks when even an element relates to your personal history. I experienced a release of resentment having watched the film. I didn’t forgive my Dad, because perhaps he wasn’t a well enough person to have been at fault, but I let my resentment towards him go and now I’m left with the better memories. Onward was a profound experience for me because I brought my own personal history to the cinema with me.

Film Review: A Star is Born (2018)

Bradley Cooper stars in and directs this tale of successful-musician-meets-and-falls-in-love-with-aspiring-but-struggling-musician, with the latter played by Lady Gaga. It's the 4th remake since the release of the original film in 1937.

I went into this a little concerned, something that felt even more justified once I realised that Cooper's character was following the usual rugged, talented man struggles with alcoholism trope that is so common in these types of films. However, the film won me round pretty quickly and although it definitely has some well-worn themes and cliched ideas, it covers them with undeniable heart, and has something original to say on most of them.

Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper), is a character we've seen many times before. However it's the way in which other characters in the film deal with him, and how the film sees him, that makes A Star is Born stand out from other films of a similar nature. There's an empathy to the film-making that sees his alcoholism and self-destructive nature not as that of someone who is spoilt, but as something deeper than that, something far less selfish. I found this particularly refreshing.

Lady Gaga gives a brilliant performance as Ally which never stopped surprising me. She conveys confidence as something less concrete than is often portrayed. In some scenes she seems like a force of nature, in others she's timid. But above all she feels real. I think it's worth seeing the film just for her performance honestly.

Overall, A Star is Born is a surprisingly fresh take on a tired formula, which updates it's themes on age-old problems with modern attitudes, and throws in a bunch of good songs and some of the most immersive concert footage I've seen on film for good measure.

7.5

Film Review: Minding the Gap (2018)

Minding the Gap is a documentary spanning 12 years of three young American's lives as they leave school, find work, and struggle to find their identity in the world, all held together by their favourite hobby: skateboarding.

Bing Liu directs a film that goes into the most intimate parts of his and their adolescense. They all skate to get away from volatile family lives and to create, as Zach puts it, a family of their own that actually looks out for them.

The film is essentially about navigating the gap between childhood and adulthood, but it's also about the effect our childhood has on our adulthood. Kiere, Zach and Bing all handle the abuse they suffered in childhood differently, creating a fascinating story of friendship, growing up, and growing apart.

The decision to use Kiere in the film is quite brilliant. He has a humble, good-hearted, wise and just generally likeable quality about him that is hard not to empathise with, and to be honest, I doubt I'll ever forget him. He lights up every scene he is in with a simple smile and a few honest, modestly spoken words.

Bing's direction is masterful. The skateboarding footage provides a nice safe-space between the heavier content and the friends-hanging-out montages are so full of joy it's hard not cry every time one comes on (I certainly did). The soundtrack is simple but when combined with some truly beautiful cinematography provides some of the most life-affirming moments I've seen on film for a long time. I had tears in my eyes throughout much of the film, but just as many of them were tears of joy as tears of sadness. I'm not sure I've ever been so affected by a film.

Minding the Gap is a quiet masterpiece. You watch Zach, Kiere and Bing develop as humans and attempt to navigate the treacherous and often alienating world of adulthood, and you come out more than a little changed yourself, and in my case, a blubbering mess.

10

Film Review: Crowhurst (2018)

Donald Crowhurst's story has been rather popular of late, spawning two films released very closely to each other: The Mercy and the comparatively low-budget Crowhurst.

Crowhurst tells the true story of the titular man's attempt to increase his stature in the world of sailing to enable him to sell more of his sailing products. He intends to do this by completing the Sunday Times Golden Globe Race in which participants must sail around the world without making any stops. Although Crowhurst miraculously manages to build up the funds to get himself a serviceable yacht, things don't go entirely to plan once he sets off on his epic journey.

I was initially worried when the film began as I found the initial ten minutes or so rather soapy. The acting was overly theatrical and I found the tone a little odd. However as soon as the voyage begins the film really comes into it's own. It's clear that this was the part the director was excited about bringing to the big screen. There are extended scenes of Crowhurst on his boat, his monotonous routine and loneliness laid bare. We feel as if we're in his shoes, nothing but blue either side, only his own voice for company. Director Simon Rumley is more known for horror films than biopics and that is evident here as he has a knack of bringing across the unsettling nature of the expedition using some horror style sounds and cuts that work very well. There's a strange psychadelic nature to certain scenes that feels totally at home here as we watch a man descend into insanity.

Justin Salinger is also to be applauded, he carries the film almost solely on his own back and despite my early worries does so with aplomb, bringing across the arrogance, naivety and eventual realisation of someone who knows he's bitten off more than he can chew in a way where we feel for him, but not without realising the stupidity of what he is doing.

This is one of those films that will stick with you. I was left wanting to research more about the voyage, and I still think about the film now, weeks after I saw it. That unsettling feeling returning every time I do. A truly memorable film.

8

Film Review: Ant-Man and the Wasp (2018)

For better or for worse I know pretty much what I'm going to get with a Marvel film nowadays. I went into Ant Man and the Wasp expecting a good sequel with Paul Rudd being charmingly funny and relaxed against some pretty big odds, Michael Peña being consistently hilarious like in the first movie, and all of this to be wrapped in a plot that was a bit predictable but still entertaining.

That's exactly what I got. I was in need of some escapism when I went to watch this and it provided that pretty much perfectly. Michael Peña continues to be probably my favourite Marvel side character and has an ability to somehow be funny constantly but without that getting annoying, a rare skill indeed. I like that they use him relatively sparingly and usually at the perfect time, so the writing and direction deserves some credit on that front. Evangeline Lilly's palpable chemistry (as Wasp) with Paul Rudd deserves a mention too.

My main complaint, if I'm going to critique this fairly straightforward superhero film, is that it probably tried to squeeze a few too many story-lines into its duration. Did we really need the Ghost story-line AND the gangster story-line along with the main thrust of getting back Hope's mother from the quantum realm? I don't think so. It felt like the film threw in a character too many for the sake of a future Marvel film to me.

I'd love this kind of budget to get thrown into something more ambitious and novel, but nonetheless I couldn't help but like the film for all the above, it was as I expected, but that was still a lot of fun.

7/10

Film Review: Thoroughbreds (2018)

Written and directed by Corey Finley, Thoroughbreds is a thriller with a dark-comedic tone. The story centers on two friends who've grown apart but are meeting up for the first time in a long time. Lily (played by Anya Taylor-Joy) is seemingly academic and lives in a mansion with her step-father and mother. Visitor Amanda (played by Olivia Cooke) is currently facing charges of animal cruelty having taken it upon herself to euthanise her injured horse. She's cold and seems to have no feelings, all of which allows her to be unnaturally pragmatic. In an unlikely turn of events they rekindle their friendship and hatch a rather violent plan.

Much like Amanda, the film is devoid of emotion and feels rather flat, something I'm sure is intentional. There are some darkly funny moments and the story keeps you guessing to some extent but it wasn't really thrilling enough as a thriller, or amusing enough as a dark comedy.

The cinematography is perhaps the film's strong point, it gives the film a tension when there was little to be tense about beyond the uncomfortably large size of the house they were inhabiting. The lack of much music only adds to this tension.

There's no doubt the film is well packaged: the acting is good, it looks good and it's reasonably well paced. But while I enjoyed the film on the surface for those things, I struggled to find much underneath to really keep me engaged. For me it's a classic case of style over substance.

6

Film Review: Unsane (2018)

Steven Soderbergh is back with psychological thriller Unsane, which he shot, edited and directed. The film stars Claire Foy as protagonist Sawyer who has just moved to a new city to avoid a stalker when she gets admitted to a mental hospital against her will following what seems to be a fairly routine counseling appointment. As things go on we as the audience question, as Sawyer does herself, whether she is indeed insane, or whether this is all a big mix-up.

I thought the first half of the film was brilliant, having worked in a mental hospital myself I've always found it fascinating how once you're in there the most normal things are often seen as a sign of mental illness, and while to me it seems normal to resort to screaming and aggressive behaviour when kept in such a contained environment for extended periods of time, this was often taken as a sign that they should be there. Early on the film tackles this issue and seems to be a statement about mental hospitals admitting people purely to get an insurance payout (something a US chain is being investigated for right now). Sawyer seems sound of mind when she is admitted, but as time goes on struggles more and more with the reality of her situation, leading to violent acts and behaviour that you would never have expected from her outside.

Just when I thought the film was really going to have something interesting to say on these topics, it changed into something else. Something which I thought was less compelling and a little farfetched, although still fairly well executed. I won't spoil it here, but let's just say it turns into something more conventional.

The film is well shot, there's a real sense of claustrophobia in the mental hospital and a lot of the tension in the film is brilliantly created through this, something that is well complemented by an unsettling soundtrack and a superb performance from Foy. One scene in particular conveys a certain feeling brilliantly using some psychedelic filters. The fact it's shot on an iPhone is impressive but doesn't seem to add anything to the film, and it's not as if Soderbergh needed to do it for budgetary reasons (unlike fellow iPhone film Tangerine) so it's slightly odd that he chose to do it here. I suppose you could say it gives the film a more hyper-real feel, but I feel like too big a deal has been made out of it. It feels like a gimmick more than anything.

Overall, it hits the target when it comes to being unsettling and gripping but misses it in terms of saying anything particularly interesting, despite some early promise.

6.5

Film Review: Summer 1993 (2018)

In this stunning Spanish-language drama, director Carla Simón tells the autobiographical story of a young girl who has lost both parents to HIV. The film starts with Frida (the fictionalised version of our director) watching on as her home in Barcelona gets emptied before she is taken to live with her aunt, uncle and cousin out in the countryside.

The film largely revolves around Frida and her younger cousin Anna (now more of a sister) played by Laia Artiges and Paula Robles respectively. Both children give performances beyond their years, performances so good they feel completely real. I know I raved on about the child acting in The Florida Project as being some of the best I've ever seen, the acting of our two leads in this film is just as good, and arguably, in Artiges' case, more complex. The camera spends a lot of time right in our protagonist's face and the way Artiges conveys the emotions bubbling beneath the surface, emotions her character Frida doesn't fully understand, is both masterful and heartbreaking. It's the kind of performance that could only have been brought about by a director who has experienced loss like this first hand.

The film is shot in a very tactile way, the camera actively moving about in a way not dissimilar to handy-cam footage at times, and even during the stiller moments there is notable movement, which again aids the film's very natural feel. The beautiful look of the film is helped by the fact it's set in the stunning Catalan countryside in a rather charming and picturesque house.

Summer 1993 is an incredibly nuanced film, the important plot points aren't necessarily large dramatic events, but small ones where you catch a glimpse of what a certain character is feeling beneath the brave face they are putting on the whole situation. The drama is subtle and never overplayed and the notable use of exclusively diagetic music helps create a hyper-realistic feel.

Plot-wise not all that much happens in Summer 1993, but that's not the point. The point isn't to show a resolution to the problem in some handy little steps, the world doesn't work like that, sometimes there are no solutions. The film just shows the effect such a trauma can have on a child and her extended family, something conveyed perfectly in this Spanish masterpiece.

9.5

Film Review: Incredibles 2 (2018)

14 years after the release of Incredibles, we finally have Pixar's Incredibles 2. Brad Bird, director of the first one, as well as Pixar hit Ratatouille, is back holding the reins for this one.

The film begins pretty much where the last one finished; the Incredibles are living a fairly normal existence while trying to do a little on the side to raise the profile of superheroes again. When this profile reaches a whole new low Elastigirl is given an opportunity that just might re-establish the public's trust in superheroes once again. This means that Mr. Incredible is left at home to look after the children, something that becomes increasingly difficult when Jack-Jack starts to display some rather strange powers.

The film was more or less what I expected. There were laughs, striking animation (although I've never been that into the designs of the Incredibles themselves), bright colours, and some good action set-pieces and chemistry between the main characters. Where Pixar has usually pulled itself apart from other animation studios though is in their ability not only to make films that are entertaining for both children and adults, but also that they deliver a message in a refreshing way. Incredibles 2 tries to fulfill this with a rare depiction of a stay-at-home Dad on the cinema screen. This in itself is to be applauded but I was disappointed that the film largely lived up to today's clichés of such a situation. A rather big deal is made of the whole situation too, taking up a large part of the film's narrative. It would have been refreshing for this just to happen, and for the message to be that those old clichés are just that: old.

Due to this misstep, I don't think this particular Pixar film pulls itself apart from the other good animation films out there. You'll enjoy yourself, but its message isn't quite as refreshing as it thinks.

6.5

Film Review: Lean on Pete (2018)

Lean on Pete is a naturally paced film written and directed by Andrew Haigh and is based on the novel of the same name by Willy Vlautin.

Charlie (Charlie Plummer) lives with his single father Ray (Travis Fimmel) in Portland and stumbles upon a job looking after horses with eccentric racehorse trainer Del (Steve Buscemi). As things progress Charlie begins to feel more and more alienated. On discovery the horse he has been looking after (Lean on Pete) is about to be sent to Mexico to be slaughtered, Charlie decides to run off with his new equine friend.

As mentioned earlier, the film moves along at a very natural pace, nothing ever feels rushed and there's plenty of sequences of Charlie just walking with the horse which really punch home just how alone he is. Plummer's performance is memorable in its sublety. He perfectly portrays the youthful naivety, sadness and yet resourcefulness and determination of Charlie. He brings about an empathy in the viewer and has a style that never takes over a scene, you know he's there, you know how he feels, but it's never overplayed. Even when it's just him and the horse, he has a way of making you feel like the rest of the shot is just as important as our two protagonists. Buscemi deserves a mention too for playing a cheating, cynical, but ultimately good-hearted trainer in a way that doesn't feel at all clichéd. He feels exactly like the kind of guy you'd meet if you went to one of these races.

I've talked a lot about the film's natural pace and the modesty of Plummer's performance, perhaps the most flashy part of the film is the cinematography. Some shots, particularly of Charlie and the horse, are so beautiful I had to pause the film to admire them. The outdoor scenes of travelling are some of the most gorgeous and awe evoking scenes I've seen for a while, they portray the feeling of living in the present that a more nomadic existence brings perfectly.

This is a humble film, a film that is interested in serving it's story above all else. This is a story about loneliness, inequality and above all the strength of the human spirit. It's a stunning piece of cinema.

9

Film Review: Game Night (2018)

Directed by John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein, Game Night is an action-comedy (some have said dark comedy, I'd disagree) which follows a group of our lead couple's (Jason Bateman and Rachel McAdams - who steals the show) friends as they participate in a murder mystery game-night. Things get turned upside down when a real mystery happens simultaneously. It becomes unclear what is the game, and what is real.

I'm reviewing this mainly as a comedy. Although it does have some twists along the way these are more there to make you laugh than to keep you guessing what might happen next. As a comedy it works pretty well, it's pacey, entertaining and there are plenty of laughs to be had.

However, I'd say the jokes miss as much as they hit and the film overused certain jokes which were not that funny to begin with. I found the 'stupid-guy' character particularly annoying and one-dimensional, and the ending used a few of the clichés I'd hoped Hollywood might have left behind.

Overall I like the idea of the premise and there's plenty of fun to be had here. I just feel it might have worked better as a psychological thriller with comedy elements, or indeed as a much darker comedy. As it is it's just a decent comedy, nothing more, nothing less.

6

Film Review: Our Souls at Night (2017)

This heartfelt drama tells the story of Louis (Robert Redford) and Addie (Jane Fonda) who have both lived alone in neighbouring houses for many years. One day Addie proposes that they begin sleeping together platonically as a means to keep each other company, to give each other a break from the lonely nights. It is an adaptation of the book of the same name by Kent Haruf.

Redford and Fonda are the heart of the film and they both give subtly brilliant performances, their relationship beginning awkwardly and becoming more natural as the film progresses, something they convey with the panache you'd expect from two Hollywood veterans. The conversations here and the way Addie and Louis reminisce about the past feels real, affecting and in no way mawkish.

The film is never rushed, scenes are allowed to breathe, and the aforementioned conversations allowed to go on beyond the plot-points they need to cover, making us feel like a fly on the wall to this compelling relationship. The whole film is shot with an admirable delicacy, creating a great sense of place with its stunning outdoor shots and yet stepping back to let the actors do the talking when required. It feels as mature and measured as the protagonists at its centre.

Director Ritesh Batra (The Lunchbox, The Sense of an Ending) has created a really touching film about old-age, family, and above all companionship. A Netflix release that everyone should watch.

8

Clive Watches Ghibli: Part 7 (2013-2014)

It's finally here, the final part of my Ghibli retrospective (you can find the other parts over on our index page). There's only two films left to cover and not a Miyazaki in sight. Let's crack on.

The Tale of Princess Kaguya (2013)

Isao Takahata's 2013 swansong before his death earlier this year is undoubtedly one of his, and Studio Ghibli's, best films. Based on the 10th century Japanese story The Bamboo Cutter it follows a bamboo cutter who finds a mysterious baby that appears inside a bamboo shoot. Discovering quickly that she grows more rapidly than normal humans, he believes her to be divine royalty and sees to it that she lives as such. He is aided in this quest by the lavish gifts that also magically appear in the bamboo he cuts.

The Tale of Princess Kaguya is a soaring coming of age tale that's themes are remarkably down to earth behind its mystical exterior. Growing up, going your own way, how life becomes more complicated as we get older, the corruptive influence of money and how it hurts to let go of our children when they grow up are all central themes to the film and are delivered in a way that feels universal despite the very Japanese feel to the film. The animation is more experimental (it's Takahata after all) and I probably like it less than the more traditional Ghibli style although I can't deny it's beautiful and I do feel it suits this older, more classic story. I think the film drags a little in the middle (I feel like closer to two hours would have been the sweet spot) but it's so ripe with beauty and observations about life that I consider it in the upper echelons of Ghibli's catalogue. The final scenes are absolutely stunning too. 

8/10

When Marnie Was There (2014)

Hiromasa Yonebayashi's second Studio Ghibli film (his first was Whispers of the Heart) is based on Juan G. Robinson's novel of the same name. Anna suffers an asthma attack at school and worried by her declining health and anxiety her foster parents send her to live with the foster-mother's relatives, who live in a seaside town where the air is clearer. Anna soon meets Marnie in an abandoned seaside mansion nearby, and it becomes clear pretty quickly that Marnie is not from the present. To me, it had similarities to something like Tom's Midnight Garden where the protagonist can meet people who live in the same place but in other time periods. As things go on Marnie and Anna's relationship deepens and secrets begin to unfold.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film to begin with and found Anna's highly anxious character very interesting, relatable, and full of depth. However I didn't find the reveal as rewarding as a lot of people seem to as I predicted it fairly early on, to say any more would be to spoil it. Nevertheless, this is a well put together film about family, anxiety, the past, and belonging. It's gorgeously animated and perhaps one of the more emotional Ghibli films, thanks partly to a very pretty soundtrack. I didn't connect with it as deeply as some have, but I can certainly appreciate it's beauty.

7/10

And so that's it. Two more films to throw into the Ghibli mixer and see how the final rankings pop out. I suspect these will change over time (some already have since the last post), especially when I rewatch the more meaty, harder to digest ones. But for now, here's how I'd rank them with the final two additions in bold italics:

1. Princess Mononoke

2. My Neighbour Totoro

3. Grave of the Fireflies

4. Kiki's Delivery Service

5. Spirited Away

6. The Tale of Princess Kaguya

7. Howl's Moving Castle

8. Laputa: Castle in the Sky

9. The Wind Rises

10. Arrietty

11. Whisper of the Heart

12. Only Yesterday

13. From Up on Poppy Hill

14. When Marnie Was There

15. Porco Rosso

16. The Cat Returns

17. Ponyo

18. My Neighbours the Yamadas

19. Pom Poko

20. Tales from Earthsea

Wow. What an amazing set of films, it is perhaps only the last two or three that I didn't enjoy all that much (although they were still very much serviceable). The top three are masterpieces in my eyes. I've been continually blown away, surprised and believe this little adventure is the birth of a love of anime. Next, I shall be watching all the top 100 ranked anime films at random (over many years no doubt) and posting reviews over on the YouTube channel. At least that's the current plan. Should any of these crop up I shall watch them again, and my rankings will no doubt change, though I seriously doubt Princess Mononoke will be taken from the top spot.

Thanks for reading this little series and stay classy y'all!

Clive :)

Clive Watches Ghibli: Part 6 (2010-2013)

In the penultimate part of my 'watch and rank' Studio Ghibli mission, we have Hiromasa Yonebayashi's directorial debut in Arrietty followed by two films directed by Goro Miyazaki and his famous father Hayao Miyazaki respectively. The quality shows no signs of dipping in what is another thoroughly delightful set of films. Let's get started. Head on over to our articles index page if you want to read the series from the start.

Arrietty (2010)

Yonebayashi's directorial debut for Studio Ghibli (he also directed the recently released non-Ghibli film Mary and the Witch's Flower) is a film based on the book The Borrowers by Mary Norton. Arrietty is a young borrower who lives with her parents under the floorboards in the house of some 'beings' (the word that borrowers use to refer to their full-size counterparts). She ends up being spotted by 12 year old Shawn, who is one of the aforementioned 'beings'. Her family decides they must all move now that they have been seen, but Arrietty has other ideas...

Arrietty really surprised me, it's a film brimming with that Ghibli magic and a very strong debut from Yonebayashi. It's such a simple story and the way it portrays basic things so beautifully is reminiscent of the masterpiece My Neighbour Totoro, if somewhat less imaginative. The friendship at the film's core is truly heartwarming and Arrietty is yet another strong female protagonist, who is not only a super kind person (or borrower) but one that is strong-willed and inspirational to those around her. It is a film about friends and family, and about how sometimes we need someone to reach out and give us a little help. Another one that children would thoroughly enjoy, but one that I feel has a bit more for the adults than for example Ponyo.

8/10

From Up on Poppy Hill (2011)

After Goro Miyazaki's much-maligned Tales from Earthsea, which I still enjoyed, Goro had something to prove with his sophomore effort, and he very much delivered. From Up on Poppy Hill, which was scripted by Goro's father Hayao, tells the story of high school girl Umi Matzusaki who meets Shun, the leader of the fight to stop the school clubhouse being demolished for redevelopment. Umi's father died in the Korean war and she raises signal flags every morning for him, something she has done since his death.

From Up on Poppy Hill is a realistic drama film that tackles the idea of a country moving into the future while still remembering the past. It's a film steeped with Japanese tradition and an absolutely gorgeous one at that. I could look at that house on the hill with its flags waving all day, those light-green trees looking down on the calm sea creating a setting that just relaxes you straight away, it really is stunning. While tackling some pretty heavy topics such as losing family members to war this film manages to be one of the more light Ghibli films to watch and I feel like Goro really injected his own style into things here. The film sacrifices some emotional heft with the breezy feel it has, which at times makes some of the more emotional scenes seem a little inconsequential, but I thought this was good, simple story, well told.

7/10

The Wind Rises (2013)

Hayao Miyazaki is known for magical films with crazy ideas that burst with imagination such as Spirited Away and Howl's Moving Castle. The Wind Rises is a somewhat more restrained, more grounded effort. It is a fictionalised biopic of Jiro Horikoshi, designer of the famous Mitsubishi A6M Zero, a World War II fighter plane well ahead of its time.

Hayao Miyazaki seems incapable of making a film that is any less than 'great' and he's done it again here. This is definitely one of his less essential works but the way it fits 20 odd years into two hours of film is quite something. It's the story of a man honing his craft, being inspired by the world around him, and watching his creations get used for something he entirely disagrees with. The love story (which I believe is entirely fictional) doesn't feel tacked on at all and feels integral to the messages of the film, one of which was that even the greatest creation bares little importance when those you love are struggling.

8/10

Three more down and they all land pretty squarely in the middle of a rather brilliant set of films. Let's see where I'd rank them. New additions in bold italics.

1. Princess Mononoke

2. My Neighbour Totoro

3. Grave of the Fireflies

4. Kiki's Delivery Service

5. Spirited Away

6. Howl's Moving Castle

7. Laputa: Castle in the Sky

8. The Wind Rises

9. Arrietty

10. Whisper of the Heart

11. Only Yesterday

12. From Up on Poppy Hill

13. Porco Rosso

14. The Cat Returns

15. Ponyo

16. My Neighbours the Yamadas

17. Pom Poko

18. Tales from Earthsea

See you next time for the final two films in the Studio Ghibli canon: The Tale of Princess Kaguya and When Marnie Was There. Stay classy people.

Clive Watches Ghilbi: Part 5 (2004-2008)

It's time for our next three Studio Ghibli films as my quest to watch and rank all the studio's output continues. This time it's a Miyazaki family extravaganza with Howl's Moving Castle and Ponyo directed by Hayao and Tales from Earthsea directed by his son Goro. If you want to start from the beginning part 1 is here. If not, let's get cracking with these 3 and see how they compare to what I've seen so far.

Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

Loosely based on Dianne Wynne's novel of the same name, Howl's Moving Castle tells the story of a young woman named Sophie who is turned old by an evil witch. She then meets a wizard named Howl, who lives in a spectacular but rather dilapidated old castle which moves on four legs, and is powered by a fire-demon named Calcifer. In the backdrop to all this, there is a war happening with another unnamed kingdom.

Howl's Moving Castle was made in response to the Iraq war and Miyazaki's anger about it. As such it definitely has an anti-war message in there. War is depicted as idiotic and unwise throughout the film. However, this isn't the only theme and I'd say the more prominent message is that of humans getting happier in old-age, as we are freed from the expectations and challenges of youth. It once again features a very strong female central character in Sophie who helps the rather self-destructive and vain Howl realise the power he has. This is another Miyazaki film that tackles an awful lot of subjects in its running time and I felt it didn't quite do it as skillfully as for example Princess Mononoke where, although there was a lot going on, it all still felt absorbable in one viewing. This one feels like you need to watch it at least twice and there were definitely certain parts that didn't fully sink in for me on my initial viewing. It joins Spirited Away on the list of films that may well rise up the rankings on a second viewing. It's ambitious and magical, if slightly inaccessible.

8/10

Tales from Earthsea (2006)

Hayao Miyazaki had always wanted to adapt Ursula K. Le Guin's Tales from Earthsea books to the big screen. When he initially asked he was turned down due to Le Guin's assumption that Ghibli was just another Disney. Many years later, when she realised this was not the case, she gave Studio Ghibli the rights to the film. Unfortunately, Hayao Miyazaki was busy on Howl's Moving Castle and so against his will, the film was given to his son Goro, who had limited animation experience. Father and Son didn't talk throughout its entire production and Hayao was apparently rather disappointed with his son's film upon seeing it for the first time.

Tales from Earthsea is a fantasy tale of wizards and dragons. It follows the story of Ged (or Sparrowhawk), a wizard who bumps into Prince Arren, a young boy with a dark side, as the world is beginning to deteriorate and all kinds of strange happenings are going on. They adventure together on a quest to stop an evil foe whose search for immortality could be the end of Earthsea.

This film gets a lot of hate and is generally believed to be Ghibli's worst film. While I probably agree, I disagree that this is a bad film, I just think it's a flawed one. The animation itself is just as stunning as any other Ghibli film (if perhaps less original or imaginative) and the dragons look particularly fantastic. The story, pacing and script are a little clunky but not to the point where it's particularly egregious, it just lacks the magic of some of his father's best work. As I've never read the books, the fact it takes large liberties with the plot didn't bother me. I liked the main characters, particularly Sparrowhawk, and thought that some of the more dreamy scenes were very effective. I also liked the androgynous villain. I think Goro Miyazaki bit off a little more than he could chew here, but the film is still enjoyable and I'd say it's 'ok' rather than 'bad'.

6/10

Ponyo (2008)

Ponyo is essentially Hayao Miyazaki's take on The Little Mermaid. One morning when heading down to the small beach near his house, the young Sosuke finds a small goldfish in a glass which he rescues and calls Ponyo. The films centers on their adventures together and Ponyo's quest to become a human and bring back the balance of nature.

As with a lot of Ghibli films, this one has a strong environmental message. However unlike a lot of Ghibli films, this one is definitely aimed at children. Ponyo as a character is absolutely adorable and the whole film has a very whimsical, sweet feel to it despite some of the horrible things happening. The protagonists are younger than those in most Ghibli films and that adds to the more simplistic feel of the film. It's beautiful to watch and there are some touching moments. However, it isn't among my favourites thanks to there not being as much to chew on than other films by the studio and the fact I found it a little hard to get behind the idea of kids this young falling in love. It's definitely one I'd recommend showing to children as I think they'd really enjoy it and it is very sweet, but it didn't do that much for me personally.

6/10

With only two of these posts left to go let's see how these three rank up against the others I've seen so far. New entries in bold italics.

1. Princess Mononoke

2. My Neighbour Totoro

3. Grave of the Fireflies

4. Kiki's Delivery Service

5. Spirited Away

6. Howl's Moving Castle

7. Laputa: Castle in the Sky

8. Whisper of the Heart

9. Only Yesterday

10. Porco Rosso

11. The Cat Returns

12. Ponyo

13. My Neighbours the Yamadas

14. Pom Poko

15. Tales from Earthsea

Thanks for reading. Join me again next time for Arrietty, From Up on Poppy Hill and The Wind Rises.

Clive Watches Ghibli: Part 4 (1999-2002)

As I trudge into the 2000's in my mission to watch and rank all the Studio Ghibli films fatigue has yet to set in, I'm still very much in love with this journey; the ups, the downs, the sheer beauty of it all (part 1 is here if you want to start from the beginning). This time the veterans Miyazaki and Takahata are once again joined by a directorial debutant in the shape of Hiroyuki Morita, who made his only appearance as a director for Studio Ghibli (he played a role as an animator on numerous others) in The Cat Returns. Let's get started.

My Neighbours the Yamadas (1999)

Isao Takahata has at this point made such varied films that it's hard to know what to expect next. He is perhaps always slightly overshadowed by Miyazaki, but there's no doubt that Takahata is a great director who doesn't like to stand still and who is never afraid to try something new, something I always admire in an artist. This time he turns his hand to adapting Hisaichi Ishi's yonkoma manga (think Peanuts 4-panel style comic) Nono-Chan to film. It stands out in Studio Ghibli's catalogue for two main reasons.  Firstly, the animation style is hugely different to any of the other films. This one stays very true to the manga with very little background detail (something Ghibli is usually famous for) and a very sketched feel that I absolutely adored. Secondly, the film has no real story arc. It is a set of vignettes ranging from 3 to 10 minutes each. My Neighbours the Yamadas follows a normal Japanese family (mum, dad, two kids and a grandma) and picks out little slices of their lives. Sometimes they connect, sometimes they don't.

This film is above all brilliantly observed and I found some of the scenes really moving thanks to a combination of some brilliant writing and an excellent soundtrack. The relationships feel real and are very relatable and at times the film is very thought-provoking. Despite this, I feel like this would have been best kept to around an hour as the run-time definitely dragged after that. It felt very much like a Saturday morning cartoon and would have worked a lot better split into a mini-TV series of 10 to 20 minute episodes or so I think. It's just hard to maintain interest for such an extended sitting when there is no main story arc, as good as the little stories contained within it are. There's a lot to be celebrated about My Neighbours the Yamadas but overall it could have done with being significantly leaner, or being presented in a different format which more suits the short-stories it contains.

6/10

Spirited Away (2001)

Most people have at least heard of Miyazaki's masterpiece Spirited Away. Among stupendous amounts of other accolades, it remains the only hand-drawn and non-English language film to win the 'Best Animated Feature' Oscar, something of a landmark moment in cinema. Spirited Away tells the story of Chihiro. She gets lost with her parents on route to her new house and ends up entering a strange spirit world housed at an abandoned theme park. What happens from then on is some of the most imaginative film-making you're ever likely to see.

Spirited Away is clearly influenced by Lewis Carroll's Alice In Wonderland: a girl wanders off on her own and finds herself lost in a strange world full of strange characters. However, don't ever come into this feeling like you know what's coming. Trust me, you have no idea. It's unexpectedly dark, kind of gross at points, endlessly discussable and full of the absolutely gorgeous animation I've come to expect of Studio Ghibli by now. It didn't resonate with me as much as some of the others have on this particular viewing, and thus won't be at the very top of my list, but there's no doubt this is a masterful piece of animation, and one I haven't been able to stop thinking about since I watched it. I'm struggling to think if I've ever seen anything more imaginative. We see Chihiro grow as a character throughout the film and her genuine, unshakeable good-heartedness is such a delight, as is the knowledge that this film is so ripe for themes and discussion that I'll get something more out of it on every repeat viewing. Although this is one of the few Ghibli films I've already seen (many, many years ago) I feel like my opinion of it will improve every time I watch it, and it may rest closer to the very top of my list once I see it once (or twice) more.

9/10

The Cat Returns (2002)

One of the few Ghibli films not directed by Takahata or Miyazaki. This one is Horyuki Morita's only appearance as a director for the studio. The Cat Returns is a loose spin-off of Whisper of the Heart and follows our protagonist Haru, a quiet and shy girl who is invited to a magical cat-kingdom after saving one of its important inhabitants from being run over by a truck.

The animation of the characters in The Cat Returns isn't quite as detailed, although this feels like an artistic choice, and the story is far more simplistic than most of the famous duo's films. Nevertheless, the film is fast, entertaining, and one of the few Ghibli films that is very much suitable for younger children. Unlike My Neighbours the Yamadas I wasn't hugely moved at any point, this isn't that type of film, but unlike that film, I was very much entertained from start to finish. The film has good characters, a good sense of humour, and is admirably lean. There are far worse ways to spend 1 hour and 15 minutes.

7/10

So now it's time to get ranking. Let's throw this lot (all shown in bold italics) in the mixer and see what happens...

1. Princess Mononoke

2. My Neighbour Totoro

3. Grave of the Fireflies

4. Kiki's Delivery Service

5. Spirited Away (again, I feel this will probably end up higher when I watch it again)

6. Laputa: Castle in the Sky

7. Whisper of the Heart

8. Only Yesterday

9. Porco Rosso

10. The Cat Returns

11. My Neighbours the Yamadas

12. Pom Poko

Thanks for reading, we're past the half-way point now! Join me next time for Howl's Moving Castle, Tales from Earthsea and Ponyo.

Clive Watches Ghibli: Part 3 (1994-1997)

It's time for part 3 of my adventure to watch all the Studio Ghibli films in order of release and rank them as I go! Head over to parts 1 and 2 here and here respectively if you want to read my thoughts on the earlier Ghibli films. This time we've got the lesser known Pom Poko and Whisper of the Heart as well as the anime giant Princess Mononoke. For the first time each of the three films features a different director with Isao Takahata directing Pom Poko, Yoshifumi Kondo making his directorial debut with Whisper of the Heart before his unfortunate death from overwork shortly after and the legendary Hayao Miyazaki directing his classic Princess Mononoke. Let's get to it.

Pom Poko (1994)

Probably the weirdest Ghibli film I've seen so far. Takahata's Pom Poko tells the story of a tribe of raccoons who are having their habitat mowed down by humans to make way for a new housing development outside of Tokyo. The raccoons have magical testicles (yep, it's a thing) that can help them transform into all sorts of things, which plays a big part in the film's plot. They use these skills, among others, to attempt to thwart the human attempts to build on their land.

Pom Poko delivers its message in a very heavy-handed manner, and coming in at just shy of 2 hours feels a little too long. To me, it doesn't quite justify its running time as the story is very simplistic, never has any major surprises, and doesn't have all that much to say on the topic other than that we need to consider the effects of destroying habitats. A great message no doubt, but not one that needed to be delivered in a fresher way than it is here to hold my interest. I didn't latch onto any of the characters in this one in the same way I have in other Ghibli films, and I have to say it's my least favourite of the bunch so far. Not bad by any means, perfectly watchable, pretty as usual, and there's fun to be had here. But overall I found it a little disappointing.

6/10

Whisper of the Heart (1995)

Whisper of the Heart is a pretty straight love story. Shizuku is a bookworm who is constantly taking out books from her school library. She soon notices that all the books she chooses have been checked out by a boy before her and she endeavors to find out who this mysterious guy is. As well as the love story at its core, the film tackles the idea of living as an artist and the sacrifices it entails, a topic that is close to my heart.

I really liked this film. I don't generally like love stories all that much but I found Shizuku completely charming and the relationship depicted never seemed cheesy or overly sappy. I strongly disliked the final scene because it felt so out of place with the rest of the film's tone regarding this but I won't go into more detail as I wouldn't want to spoil anything. Perhaps I just need to see it again? Animation-wise this is one of my favourite looking Ghibli movies, which is quite the achievement. It somehow makes normal neighbourhoods look magical, and the attention to detail is phenomenal. I thought the film had a lot of interesting things to say about honing one's craft as an artist, a theme that was covered in a much more interesting way than a lot of films I've seen. A delightful film slightly hampered by the not-so-great final scene.

8/10

Princess Mononoke (1997)

Princess Mononoke is a hard film to write a blurb for because there's just so much going on but I'll try anyway. Ashitaka is cursed when he defends his village from the attack of a boar god. On his way to find a cure, he finds San, or Princess Mononoke, who is fighting to protect the forest from the local humans,  led by their strong-willed queen Lady Eboshi, who are planning to destroy it.

I'm just going to come right out and say it. This is a masterpiece. My favourite so far. Although longer than Pom Poko (this one comes in at over two hours and ten minutes) none of its running time is wasted and it feels much shorter than that. There is so much going on in this film it's almost ridiculous, and yet it is never confusing or overbearing. The plotting and pacing throughout are masterful. Then there's the animation, which is hands down some of the best I've ever seen, it's thematically much darker than other animations I've seen and this is brought across perfectly in the darker, and yet still bold, colour palette of backgrounds. The film has so many themes: environmentalism, feminism and war being just a few of them and it handles them all in such a way as to never feel preachy, and yet you'll still take a bunch of messages on board. It also has one of the strongest endings you'll see anywhere, not just in animation. A magical piece of art that redefines to me just what an animation film can be.

10/10

Now it's time to throw these three in amongst the other Ghibli films I've seen and see where they rank. This post's films are in bold italics.

1. Princess Mononoke

2. My Neighbour Totoro

3. Grave of the Fireflies

4. Kiki's Delivery Service

5. Laputa: Castle in the Sky

6. Whisper of the Heart

7. Only Yesterday

8. Porco Rosso

9. Pom Poko

Thanks for reading and I'll see you next time for My Neighbours the Yamadas, Spirited Away and The Cat Returns. Stay classy.

Clive Watches Ghibli: Part 2 (1989-1992)

So here we are with part 2 (read part 1 here) of my watch-all-the-Studio-Ghibli-films-in-order adventure. The more I watch the more I'm beginning to appreciate the stunning animation these films have. Each shot is like a work of art that has people living in it, they truly are some of the most beautiful films I've ever seen. Anyway, without further ado, here's the next 3 films, my thoughts on them, and how well they rank against the others I've seen so far.

Kiki's Delivery Service (1989)

Kiki is a 13-year-old witch, and 13-year-old witches have to leave home during a full moon to find their purpose. Kiki decides her time is now. She flies with her black cat Jiji, to a wonderful coastal town, and sets up her own delivery service. After all, witches' flying abilities make them pretty efficient postladies.

Kiki is adorable, her cat Jiji is adorable (in a kind of dry sarcastic way), heck, this whole film is adorable. An absolute delight from start to finish, I fell in love instantly. At this point, it seems pointless to say the animation is gorgeous (it's a Ghibli film after all) but it is. This is a wonderful coming-of-age story about leaving home, finding a purpose, and forging an identity among a larger community. Not only that, but it has a strong, independent girl protagonist whose main aim in life is definitely not to be wooed by a guy. I loved this film, it's going up there with my Ghibli favourites.

9/10

Only Yesterday (1991)

Takahata's Only Yesterday is one of those Ghibli films that I can't imagine a child enjoying. It's a very slow and realistic adult drama about a woman named Taeko who has lived all her life in Tokyo. She decides to spend the Summer out in the country with the brother of her brother-in-law helping with a safflower harvest as she did the year before. On her way there she begins having flashbacks about some of the most memorable events in her childhood, the ones that have shaped who she is now.

I really enjoyed this film. It's a quiet meditation on how our childhoods form who we are and how often, as we grow up, we move away from what we wanted to be as children, which isn't always a good thing. This isn't going to rank among my favourites as it doesn't quite have the magic of some of the other films I've seen on this adventure but there's no doubt this is a very accomplished drama that tells its story affectionately and beautifully.

8/10

Porco Rosso (1992)

Porco Rosso is about a famous pilot who is turned into a pig by a curse after he flees a battle in which many of his friends die. It's an action-packed adventure that follows our charismatic protagonist Porco Rosso as he battles air pirates and smokes cigars in his beautiful, bright red plane. It features a more standard plot with a good guy (our aforementioned protagonist), his awesome mechanic prodigy sidekick Fio, and a cocky, power-hungry villain.

Porco Rosso is a really fun action film. To me, it didn't really have the thematic depth or discussable quality that most Ghibli films have, with the only real theme being Porco Rosso's journey of coming to terms with who he is, but it's thoroughly entertaining, full of fun characters, and stands out even among Ghibli's catalogue for how well the action scenes are animated, particularly the air battles.

7/10

So now we're 6 films down. Here's how I'd rank them all so far. With the ones reviewed in this particular post in bold italics.

1. My Neighbour Totoro

2. Grave of the Fireflies

3. Kiki's Delivery Service

4. Laputa: Castle in the Sky

5. Only Yesterday

6. Porco Rosso

Thanks for reading, the journey will continue next time with Pom Poko, Whisper of the Heart and Princess Mononoke.

Clive Watches Ghibli: Part 1 (1986-1988)

I've always liked anime, but have only ever scraped the very surface when it comes to watching any. While going through one of life's rough patches I visited my good friend Josh Keighley (of the books podcast on here) and we watched The Wind Rises together. The beautiful animation, the messages, the music, it was like a warm hug, I felt instantly better. I decided there and then I was going to make it my mission over the next few months or so to watch all the Studio Ghibli films in release order, to keep chasing that high. I'll be presenting them here in sets of three, and attempting to rank them as I go along (hey, I just like ranking things). Let us begin with the first three Studio Ghibli movies.

Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986)

Officially, Laputa: Castle in the Sky is the first Studio Ghibli film, though I know there are others before made by Ghibli directors before the studio was formed. Castle in the Sky follows a young orphan named Sheeta who gets kidnapped by one of the film's best characters, the pirate leader Dola, and meets fellow orphan Pazu. Together they try to find the magical city of Laputa, which allegedly floats in the sky. 

This film surprised me. It's an action packed adventure that rarely lets up over its 2 hour 15 minute running time. The animation is absolutely gorgeous, the soundtrack suitably epic and yet pretty, but what really set the film apart for me was the character interactions. I loved Pazu and Sheeta's relationship, and any scene featuring Dola's pirate gang was a complete joy. The film definitely has themes of protecting the nature in our world and has the common anti-corporation/big business angle which I expect will come up in future Ghibli films too. Honestly, this is just a great action-adventure film, and I'd say pretty much anyone would enjoy this film. It's just a damn good time.

8/10

Grave of the Fireflies (1988)

Directed by Isao Takahata The Grave of the Fireflies follows Seita who is left to look after his little sister Setsuo as a result of the war. It's a heartbreaking tale of children having to grow up too fast, homelessness and the futility of war.

This was by no means an easy watch and certainly not one I'll be rewatching in a hurry because of just how heavy it is. However I firmly believe that anyone with even a slight interest in anime should not miss this. The animation is stunning as always and the story is paced beautifully. A delicate and yet emotionally brutal look at the effects of war. I cried, possibly twice.

9/10

My Neighbour Totoro (1988)

We're back to Hayao Miyazaki directing. This one features Ghibli's iconic mascot Totoro! The premise is a simple one: a father and his two daughters move into an old house in the country to be closer to their mother who is in hospital. It's a slice-of-life type film where the family settle into their new home and soon meet some mysterious forest creatures.

What can I say? This is one of my very favourite films and one of the few Ghibli films I've seen before. I love how there's no real plot, villain or good guy. The interactions when they first get to the farmhouse are so spot on I was taken right back to my own childhood, a crazy feeling of nostalgia, even when I'd never seen this film before. From then on we're taken on a fantastical journey with themes of nature and community, and the fact that the very things that most define us, are what we're losing. I can't think of another film that nails that feeling of being a child as well as this one. A warm hug of a film (yes I know that's the second time I've said that, but it's just true) that kept a stupid childish grin on my face for its entire duration. A truly magical masterpiece.

10/10

So here we are. 3 films down. I promised I'd rank them as I go along so here goes:

1. My Neighbour Totoro

2. Grave of the Fireflies

3. Laputa: Castle in the Sky

Thanks for reading and I'll catch you next time for the next 3 Ghibli films: Kiki's Delivery Service, Only Yesterday and Porco Rosso.

Alex Wain's Top Films of 2017 (UK Release)

2017 was perhaps the year of the noble failure for cinema. Failure from a variety of perspectives. Blade Runner 2049 failed, from a commercial standpoint, to ‘wash its face’ – the brilliantly simple industry analogy for a films net gross covering both its budget and marketing. Get Out failed to preach to anyone but the choir, judging from the continuous attention received by the ‘alt-right’ in the race relations conversation. The Death of Stalin failed to receive a significant cinematic audience in the one nation that needed to see it most. Oh, and Moonlight, well Moonlight failed to even get a best picture award without a ludicrous gaffe. Yes, 2017 was the year of the noble failure for cinema. Great art is often neglected in its own time, be it from a commercial perspective, a critical one or simply an inability to instantly enter the zeitgeist. 2017 was the year of the noble failure for cinema, but it was also a year that I am convinced will be remembered with reverence.

10. War of the Planet of the Apes

Matt Reeves appeared to bring the curtain down on this most resistant of franchises with a third act as impressively poignant as it is bombastic. Caesar, the messianic leader of the apes, leads a desperate struggle for survival against human forces determined on their extinction. Andy Serkis, the granddaddy of mo-cap, brings life and a sense of humanity to his performance as Caesar. An artificial computer-generated skin may layer Serkis during this performance, but the dignity and pathos he manages to project deserve recognition. The Apes franchise has always had the whiff of B-movie absurdity, but Reeves (and originally Rupert Wyatt) have achieved a rare feat in blockbuster film-making by maintaining the original concept and instilling a new sense of gravity. I cannot help but think of Richard Donner convincing audiences in 1978 that a man could fly. Taking in over $1.6bn at the global box office for the combined series, the Apes franchise is continued proof that intelligent popcorn entertainment has a market. Serious monkey business (sorry, not sorry).

9. It Comes at Night

Jump scares are cheap, a lingering sense of dread is built to last. My favourite horror-cum-thriller of the year and a welcome reminder that tired genres can still surprise. Set during an unexplained outbreak of a deadly virus, It Comes at Night is a survivalist end-of-world thriller that will linger at the base of your neck follicles long after you’ve finished watching. Drenched in an unsettling and claggy atmosphere of dread, the narrative concentrates solely on two families with understandable trust issues, guessing and second-guessing motives in the name of survival. Joel Edgerton is on reliable form as the stoic and patriarchal head of one family, continuing a rich vein of form with his customary understatement. It Comes at Night is likely only to be a footnote on a crowded genre page, but it is a considerable achievement for debut director and writer Trey Edward Shults.

8. Dunkirk

Christopher Nolan continues to genre-hop, with a typically unconventional take on the war movie. Obsessed once more with time and the manipulation of it, Dunkirk confronts the historical concept and gradual mythologizing of the British stiff upper lip. Nolan’s soldiers just want a way out. The fight is lost and the only victory can be taken from getting away with as many pieces of themselves as they can carry. Nolan is both respectful of the event that Britain built its spirit of resistance upon, but ruthless in inspecting the reality of being cattle trapped for the slaughter. Un-showy performances all round, with special mentions to Mark Rylance and Cillian Murphy are the backbone of creating a believable portrayal. While not Nolan’s finest work, Dunkirk adds to an already varied canon.

7. Logan

As much a Western as anything else, James Mangold surprised both the comic book industrial movie complex and the wider cinematic community with this raw and unflinching conclusion to the Wolverine series. The near future has not been kind to Logan (or Wolverine). Living in a disused set of industrial buildings just over the Mexican border, Logan has become bound to a life of continuous struggle as he cares for the rapidly-declining telepath of mass destruction Charles Xavier. To make matters worse, his own powers of healing that have created an aura of invincibility are waning. Logan hurts and can be hurt. Not so much on the nose, as a punch to the nose, Johnny Cash’s overplayed, but undeniably haunting cover of ‘Hurt’ has never been more appropriate for appropriation. What is often missing from even the best of superhero movies is a sense of stakes, a sense of genuine danger to our protagonist. Logan convinces the audience that all cards are upon the table from the opening scene. A bold entry into a genre in dire need of caustic creativity.

6. Mudbound

The only entry on my list I have not seen in a cinematic format is typically one of the finest to look upon. Released to a limit run in cinemas, Mudbound is a Netflix-original production that most will only have had the opportunity to see on the small screen. Set following World War Two, Mudbound follows the contrasting receptions that two war heroes receive upon return. Class and more significantly, race, define the narrative in this withering and poetic production. Mudbound tightrope walks the viewer between differing emotions. Rarely have I been moved to tears and riled to physical-sensation anger by scenes just minutes apart. Dee Rees grounds the film in the economic reality of land ownership, with scenes of status quo racism often as impactful as Klan activity. Special mention must go to Mary J. Blige and again to Joel Edgerton as what might be considered a palatable racist; a man without malice and without determinable prejudice, but lacking in moral backbone. Mudbound makes the oft-argued case that all that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.

5. The Death of Stalin

Armando Iannucci made a welcome return to the big screen with this adaptation of the same-titled French graphic novel. Interspersing wry satire, pure abyss-black comedy and belly laughs, it’s difficult to remember the last time I was this enthralled by a cinematic comedy. Semi-historical, The Death of Stalin creatively recreates the power vacuum and subsequent struggle between Stalin’s underlings in the wake of his untimely death. Singling individual performances amongst such a wonderful ensemble seems unfair, but Simon Russell Beale is a rare performer on the big screen and his reptilian portrayal of Lavrentiy Beria, snarling and contemptuous, is something to behold. The Death of Stalin is, at time of writing at least, banned in Russia, branded ridiculously as propaganda by certain institutions of the state. Looking at the film as piece of art rather than as a commercial venture, this feels like a final satirical flourish that Iannucci could not have planned better.

4. Manchester by the Sea

This is probably the most controversial pick of my top ten, knowing that this film is forever associated with the alleged abusive behaviour of its star Casey Affleck. While the alleged behaviour is not said to have occurred during production of Manchester by the Sea, it haunts the legacy of what is otherwise an exceptional piece of filmmaking, and it has to be said, a towering performance from Casey Affleck. Lee Chandler is our solitary and ravaged protagonist, living in isolation away from his hometown of Manchester following an awful incident that leaves him unable to cope. The death of his brother Joe means Lee becomes the legal guardian of Joe’s teenage son Patrick, forcing Lee to remain in Manchester. Directed by Kenneth Lonergan, Manchester by the Sea is a study of grief and guilt, shot compassionately and with real nerve. This isn’t a world where redemption can be found easily. Manchester by the Sea is brave enough to ask the audience to consider if there are some things in life you just can’t recover from. Irrespective of his alleged abuse, Casey Affleck fully embodies his character in a performance that I have rarely seen the likes of. Bleak and honest, but with traces of real beauty, Manchester by the Sea is an essential watch.

3. Get Out

The majority of films on this list can be categorised with relative ease, but Get Out could sit comfortably within three genres. Part horror, part black comedy (pun honestly not intended, but it’s staying) and part thriller, Get Out was arguably the best surprise of 2017. Starring Daniel Kaluuya, an actor of real magnetic presence, we join Chris as he visits his white girlfriend’s wealthy family in the country. A pleasant time is had by all. The end. Hah. Get Out satirises the worst of wealthy white America, scything away at the façade of pleasantries that mask the reality of current race relations with wit and unpredictability. Never letting the audience sit comfortably, Get Out achieves a genuine disquiet that left me often out of sorts with my own emotional reactions to events on screen. This power to leave an audience suspended between mirth and unease is the real strength of the film. Without going into detail, for risk of spoilers, I wonder whether Get Out would have been even stronger with the ending flipped. Jordan Peele addressed the subject and said he couldn’t bear to end the film on the note in question. Despite the worldview on show, the film never relents to hopelessness and this feels like the right decision. Described by a fellow Stick Around reviewer as world-view altering, my only fear is that the people who need to see and correctly interpret Get Out the most, will either never see it or miss the point entirely.

2. Moonlight

An entirely worthy winner of the Best Picture award at the 2017 Oscars, in spite of the farcical nature of the ceremony and the fall-out that enveloped proceedings (sorry, not sorry). Moonlight is a special achievement that circumvented the trepidation I had before viewing. Beautifully shot by cinematographer James Laxton and meticulously orchestrated by director Barry Jenkins, we follow the coming-of-age of Chiron through three different stages of his life. Despite its weighty subject matter, dealing with race, LGBT issues and poverty, Moonlight is immensely watchable from start to finish with hyper-real performances in contrast with artistic direction. I was drawn into the narrative and I was reminded of Boyhood, a film I narrowly prefer, as we journey through the stages of what felt like a very real life. Barry Jenkins is clearly a superlative talent, capable of building a reality the audience is dropped right into, without need of exposition. I am not qualified or educated enough to discuss the reality of LBGT life in the African-American community, but it struck me that Moonlight approached the subject with a confidence and grace that could only have been achieved by an African-American LGBT director and an entirely African-American cast. This isn’t to say that an outsider couldn’t have achieved similar results, but Moonlight has a really authentic feel.

1. Blade Runner 2049

It gives me immense pleasure just not be disappointed by Blade Runner 2049. A sequel 35 years after an original, and an original that was never crying out for a follow up. When initially announced, the news of a Blade Runner sequel was met with fear as much as anything else. The original Blade Runner was a one of a kind science fiction film with great levity and intellectual class, never imagined as the first of a franchise. Blade Runner 2049 did not need to be made and nor was the news that it would be made met with welcoming arms by just about anyone, especially yours truly. Thank fuck it was. Blade Runner 2049 is a titanic, staggering achievement, taking the best elements of the original film and grafting on new ideas. Denis Villeneuve, director of recent sci-fi success Arrival, wasn’t an obvious choice, despite the quality of his work, but here he excels balancing raw entertainment with weighty concepts. Told with breath-taking scope visually and immense sound design, Blade Runner 2049 is a feast for the senses, with Roger Deakins surely a shoe-in for best cinematography at the Oscars. 14th time’s the charm, eh? Ryan Gosling is back to his stoic best as blade runner K, a replicant designed to hunt his own people. K's counterpart Luv, played with icy indifference by Sylvia Hoeks, forms the backbone of the film alongside him. What most makes Blade Runner 2049 such a success is the decision creatively, I assume consciously, to be a sequel and an original creative property simultaneously. It wasn’t welcome and it wasn’t needed, but Blade Runner 2049 is an instant classic, superb in just about every facet.