Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by 4season (A) on August 25, 2005 at 22:33:16

Talk about two unlikely-for-the-USA-market films! But nevertheless, My Neighbors The Yamadas and Pom Poko are here, and I'm tickled. You probably don't have to be acquainted with Japanese folklore and custom to enjoy this pair of movies, but it defintely helps, more so than with most other Ghibli films, what with the references to tanuki and jizo (Pom Poko) and hanafuda, kotatsu and Momotaro (Yamadas)

What's not to love about Pom Poko? You've got your racoon-dogs who love to play pranks, do magic, and crush their human enemies with their enormous testicles (no really). Although like Nausicaa and Princess Mononoke, it revolves around a nature vs human development conflict, Pom Poko treats it in a way that's both light and silly, yet poignant. One complaint about the English-language soundtrack: Mostly well-done, but they copped out and changed "scrotum" to "raccoon pouch", but when you watch the movie, it's pretty obvious what's actually going on.

How to describe My Neighbors The Yamadas? It makes me think of one of Jacques Tati's Mr. Hulot films, only situated in modern Japan, and oh yes, drawn in a very minimal style in the manner of a newspaper comic strip. And like a Tati film, it took more than one viewing before it "clicked" with me. Deceptively simple, it's really a delightful slice of Japanese family life, meticulously crafted. Favorite scene: Exhausted husband returns from work and is served a dinner of..?

I mostly rent DVDs rather than buying them, because lots of movies aren't all that interesting to me the second time around. But after renting this pair of Ghibli movies, I bought my own DVDs, and I'm glad I did.