My Movie Pick of the Year!
June 14, 2008Ok I knew I just can’t escape from my conscience if I don’t recommend this movie soon.
Our seniors let us watch it last year, before we took over. It has been my favourite movie since. One or two of my batchmates are kinda crazy over it too, not to mention quite a few of my friends outside SV.
The movie is 5 Centimeters Per Second (秒速５センチメートル Byōsoku Go Senchimētoru), directed by Makoto Shinkai. Shinkai is often labelled as the “new” Hayao Miyazaki (co-founder of Ghibli Studios; director of movies such as Spirited Away), and I can say he has huge potential.
The film is drop dead gorgeous, and it’s beautiful (not just graphically). And caution: highly emo content.
Trailer (low quality): Turn up the SOUND!
Some screenshots (large image)
I really appreciate that it is a departure from your ”normal” Jap feature-length animation – it has no fantasy element whatsoever, no science fiction element whatsoever, but focuses on capturing and expressing the nuances of emotions. It deals about both physical and emotional distance, and it does a great job in bringing through its themes.
If you are into action blockbusters, this may not be for you. This movie is only 1 hour long, but it is 1 hour of masterful emotional characterisation and graphical (and musical) awe. I bought the DVD in Hong Kong last December. A few of my friends bought the Collector’s Edition. It should be out in stores in Singapore currently.
I know that almost the whole film is on youtube (albeit in sections), but trust me, this is one film that deserves to be watched in no less than DVD quality. Hahaha and I got the entire music soundtrack too (for this one, don’t ask how I got it XD).
Ask me if you want to borrow the DVD. Alternatively, the whole DVD has been ripped to the SV room (A415) by our seniors). You can copy it out from there.
Just one last word describing the movie:
Beautiful.
Btw, I hope I have started the ball rolling. If you have any movie you just love and want to recommend to others, please do post!
Alvin
i want (:
can borrow the DVD?
Sure! Pass to you tmr!
Alvin
thanks alvin
haha, had many problems with getting the English subs to display. It worked after I changed to another dvd player. I especially like the 1st one, ‘Cherry Blossom Story’, for both storyline and graphics – truly beautiful.
just one thing that’s stuck in my thoughts: the 3 works are not connected, as in, their plot aren’t continuous. But in the 3rd animation (‘5 centimeters per second’ ) it was mentioned that she found her childhood love letter to Takaki at the train station (“reminded me…when takaki and i were young…i guess it is because of the old letter i found yesterday”)… which (coincidently?) continued from where ‘Cherry Blossom Story’ had left off. Back then, at the train station. The letter slipped out of Takaki’s pocket and was blown away…
hehe. yea i know they are 2 seperate, individual works, but that’s why this connection bugs me.
Hwei Ee
dom is interested too haha. does hweiee have the dvd now or with alvin alr?
it is with Alvin, now =D
Haha Dom I pass it to you tmr during handover(:
Btw, I personally interpretted that the 3 stories are interconnected leh…
SPOILER ALERT!!!
It’s like guy A and girl A are interested in each other, and girl B is interested in guy A but guy A is not interested in girl B. 10 years down the road, girl A has lost interest in guy A and has gone to pursue anothe love interest…
OK this is oversimplification, but yea, this is the most popular interpretation.
For me it’s all connected.
Haha the movie’s beautiful right?(: