MMM Day 1: Princess Mononoke

So, the first Miyazaki movie I managed to get my hands on this summer was Princess Mononoke.

Released: 1997                                                                
Rating: PG-13 (the first animated movie I've ever seen with this rating)


IMDb Rating: 8.4/10
Summary (taken from IMDb): On a journey to find a cure for a demon's curse, Ashitaka finds himself in the middle of a war between the forest gods and Iron Town, a mining colony. In this quest he also meets San, the Princess Mononoke.
(Mononoke, in the Japanese language, is a general term for spirit or monster)



Memorable Quotes:

Lady Eboshi: What exactly are you here for?          
Ashitaka: To see with eyes unclouded by hate.

Hii-sama: You cannot change fate. However, you can rise to meet it, if you so choose.

Lady Eboshi: Life is suffering. It is hard. The world is cursed. But still you find reasons to keep living.

Toki: Even if you were a woman, you'd still be an idiot! 


My Review:
I really liked this movie, although it was less light-hearted than many of Miyazaki's others. The overall message was great and the plot was sensible and easy to follow. Besides that, I love the bits of wisdom that can be found, such as the few examples given above, in all of Miyazaki's work. Princess Mononoke is definitely an intense and epic tale. I would say this movie is probably not the best for children- there was a surprising amount of blood and fighting (I guess that would explain the PG-13) and some cursing. I think its more of the subject matter that makes this necessary. I mean, a war between gods and humans can't be depicted without fighting. But anyways,  next time you''re faced with a choice between Pirates of the Caribbean or the seventh Harry Potter movie for the umpteenth time, I would definitely choose this instead. It's a fantastic experience: the animation is beautiful, the characters are believable (and lovable), and the message, that nature is beautiful but not to be trifled with, is wonderful in and of itself.

My Rating: 7/10
Abby's Rating: 7/10

Abby Says: "It was good."

So there you have it. 

The Miyazaki Movie Marathon and My Un-Dying Love for Hayao Miyazaki

Hi, everyone! It's been almost a year since I last posted! (Okay, now that I've acknowledged that, we can move on).

So I don't really have much that's interesting to write about besides this: The Miyazaki Movie Marathon!! Get excited!
Speaking of excitement, I have to give a shout-out to my Uncle Brady, whose blog, thesongsstuckinmyhead.blogspot.com, has inspired me to write today and also because he was the first person to introduce me to Hayao Miyazaki!

For those of you who don't know, Miyazaki-san (that's right, I went there) is a brilliant writer and director of animated films, the most famous of which include Spirited Away and Ponyo. I've always loved Spirited Away (I use the term love very loosely- what I feel for this movie is more like absolute, unconditional, complete adoration to the point that I practically worship it if it weren't for the fact that it's a commandment to not worship false idols), but I wanted to explore more of the Miyazaki World.

Let me fill you in on a bit of back-story about summer and me: every summer (without fail) I get the urge to do three things:
1. Read the last two books of The Little House series (not The First Four Years. That one doesn't count.)
2. Read the entire Harry Potter series
3. Watch Spirited Away.
And the one thing I've done without fail every summer is watch Spirited Away.

BUT NOT THIS SUMMER.
No, this summer had to be extra-special because I saw this thing one day when I was mindlessly Pinteresting. (Heck yes, Pinteresting is both a verb and a proper noun).

And I took it not as a picture, but as a challenge.
And at that moment, I knew: I would watch all these movies.
And I would make Abby watch them with me.
And I would call it The Miyazaki Movie Marathon.

I don't know what it is about Miyazaki movies, but they are just SO great. Whenever I watch them, I feel moved, immediately attached to the characters, and somehow... nostalgic. For childhood, I guess. And innocence. But the best part about his movies, to me, is that they all have the same message: that anything is possible, that love is more powerful than anything, and that to dream is to live.

I invite you all to join me on my epic quest to complete the ultimate tribute to Miyazaki. Just pick a movie, any movie. Watch it with your friends, your kids, your cat, yourself, whatever. It'll make your day (and maybe your life) better, guaranteed.