My all time favorites

Original Title: Mononoke-Hime (1997)
Directed by Hayao Miyazaki
Genre: Fantasy/Action
My Rating: 5/5

In the moonlight I felt you heart.
Quiver like a bowstrings pulse.
In the moon's fair light, you looked at me.
Nobody knows your heart.

When the sun has gone, I see you.
Beautiful and haunting, but cold.
Like the blade of a knife, so sharp, so sweet.
Nobody knows your heart.

All of your sorrow, grief and pain
Locked away in the forest of the night.
Your secret heart, belongs to the world,
Of the things that sigh in the dark,
Of the things that cry in the dark.

Hayao Miyazaki: The God of Animation. Ever since his debut Lupin III: Castle of Cogliostro, Miyazaki has been creating brilliant masterpieces that have astounded adults and children alike. Princess Mononoke is in my opinion his best or rather bestest achievement to date. This heavenly masterpiece is a beautiful piece of art where heroism, responsibility and love blend so harmoniously. Before I start talking about this film, I will discuss how this epic film took shape. Miyazaki came up originally with the idea of this anime in the late 1970s. By 1994, after successfully directing many wonderful anime like Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind (’84), Castle in the Sky (‘86), Kiki’s Delivery Service (’89) and the Studio Ghibli milestone My Neighbor Totoro (’88), Miyazaki finally finished the plotline in 1994 and drew some storyboards for the film. Then with the help of animator Masashi Ando, characters were designed. Animation commenced in July 1995. Princess Mononoke is mostly hand-drawn. Miyazaki wasn’t comfortable with the use of computer animation. Though eventually, Miyazaki used computer animation in the most complex scenes involving the “Demon god” sequences. Still, the traditional "Cell animation" was the key. In July 1997, Miyazaki's ingenious masterpiece finally released in Japan.



Although James Cameroon's iconic Titanic shadowed Princess Mononoke, it couldn't escape the attention of critics. Now, first of all, when the word 'animation' is heard, one always imagines an children's story or a colorful fairy tales. Though Japan has completely redefined this genre creating a totally different one: anime. When anime came into existence, it was mostly oriented around adult themes. Mostly, not always. But it was Miyazaki with his astounding Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind brought a major change to this genre and in addition helped in the creation of the most prestigious animation studios in the world: Studio Ghibli. With it's impressive animated films like My Neighbor Totoro, Grave of the Fireflies and Spirited Away, the studio has gained world-wide recognition. But, this world-wide recognition won't have been possible without Miyazaki's Princess Mononoke. It was this important film that introduced the studio to the entire world.

Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind (2004)
Directed: by Michel Gondry
Genre: Science Fiction/Romance
My rating: 5/5

"How happy is the blameless vestal's lot!
The world forgetting, by the world forgot.
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each pray'r accepted, and each wish resign'd."
- Alexander Pope

Joel and Clementine, once a happy couple, break-up. Joel can't take Clementine out of his head so he decides to patch up. He then learns an unbelievable truth that she had a clinic named Lacuna "erase" all of her memories related to Joel. Joel too out of anger decides to take on the procedure of erasing Clementine-memories from his head.

With Michel Gondry and Charlie Kaufman, the screenwriters, weird stories always become entertaining that has undeniably smart elements. Eternal Sunshine remains their best work to date. It's an unforgettable psychological journey in a person's brain, his dreams, his desires captured with such contrast and vivid beauty that you will be left asking for more. At first, we feel quite envious of the technology that literally removes "pain" from our minds. The direction and screenplay capture this magnificently by taking us in Joel's head and actually showing us in their way how it happens. But soon this desire dies out with a deep emotion of dissatisfaction. Because Joel watches these memories fade away, he gets a second chance to relive them. He then understands that memories, however painful, are vital. I really wanted this erasing thing to exist in real life at first but then the film's extremely strong presentation made me change my mind. This impressive part makes the whole non-linear experience unexpected, thought-provoking and excites us to a higher level of curiosity.

Once Eternal Sunshine grips us through it's smart allegory, it keeps getting better and better. What I loved most was the unexpected conclusion that forces us to wonder about the fate of the characters. What I loved more is that the film also never forgets the supporting cast, especially the "erasers" who work at Lacuna. During the erasing scene, which is the highlight of the entire film, the film kind of switches back and forth from Joel's memories to the real world. They show us the interaction of the Lacuna gang (Elijah Wood, Kirstin Dunst, Mark Ruffalo, Tom Wilkinson). As we surge through Joel's emotions, theirs too is not overlooked. The screenplay smartly shows us how we human beings feel emotions, how we look at the person who's memory we are erasing and the person who's having it erased. In Short, Eternal Sunshine has a weird but differently smart screenplay that works which also won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay in 2005. The Direction has a wonderful "flow" in it. The Cinematography has a beautiful colorful saturation and the score, wow, it just syncs with the flow. The film has impressive visual effects too that adds to the stunning imagery of Joel's memories.



Now, the acting. First of all, I have never seen Jim Carrey act a serious character before. Joel is boring, dull, seeks solitude. I still wonder how he did that. This proves that Jim Carrey is more of a versatile actor rather than a comedian. Kate Winslet portrays the energetic, over-talkative Clementine, a complete opposite of Joel. She was nominated for the Oscar for this role and it's quite worth it. The most difficult part is bringing two completely opposites together to love each other which is pulled off perfectly by the two artists. Then comes the Lacuna gang. Wow, another surprise here. Their acting was realistic, if simply put.

In conclusion, Eternal Sunshine is a spotless masterpiece. It's that piece of cinema that tries to approach film-making from a whole new perspective and the result is memorable. The film convinced me of the moral fact that even if you put someone out of your memory, you can't put them out of your heart. Be sure to check out Gondry's Being John Malkovich, another weird but thought-provoking film.

La Jetee (1962)
Directed by Chris Marker



Today's sci-fi films are always oriented around common action film cliches. Chris Marker's La Jetée is totally different though. This film has inspired numerous time-travel films including Terminator and 12 Monkeys.

La Jetee came out in the early 60's, an age which has been coined as the "French New Wave" when french film-makers used inventive ideas to create experimental films. Marker too tries his hands at experimental, rule-breaking film-making by forbidding any video content in the film and telling the entire story through still images and a narration! Also, Science Fiction films require a big budget so Marker stuck to this unique narrative. The photography was done by Marker himself.



The final result is a beautiful and stunning photo-montage with impressive photography, beautiful score and smart editing; it's so well established. As I am new to Marker's filmography, I do not know about his style. But What I do know is that La Jetee works in every aspect, especially the emotional one.

I never knew that Sci-fiction films could ever be like this one. All we have seen is exploding stuff and alien attacks, not to mention time travel by a DeLorean. Well, Kubrick's 2001 is of completely another league so comparing these two masterpieces is useless. La Jetee is only 30 minutes long. But it's something any cinephile ought not to miss. The Story is simple, yet it has a beautiful complexity behind it that can only be felt.