Before I saw this in a theatre setting just now, I had now idea the seagull is such a crowd pleaser. I always felt that character was the worst part of the movie. Probably the only bad part. He's fine as a minor minor character, and in the film I never believed him to be their friend at all. But people laughed like children whenever that dumb bird made any quirky quips with that accent of his.
Anyway, Watership Down…
The mask on the poster and in the film is a Hannya mask, used in certain Japanese theatre. While the name comes from the word for “wise” it’s not referring to the mask itself, but supposedly to the artist who made it. Focusing on the wisdom needed to perfect the design.
The mask is used to portray women who have become demons due to jealousy, but there’s so much more depth than just some troll with horns. Look at it…
I mean, a lot of this obviously is hard to swallow for a lot of people. Strings showing, wonky keying and weird background actors, sure. But I like all that crap. It's charming and fun. And the effects make the film huge, man. They're great.
Everything that sucks are the things that seem tacked on somewhere along the way. The overly pedagogical inner monologues and disembodied voice-over is what sucks the most. And it's all insanely rushed. Which, without those band-aids to cover it, would've worked fine.
Even with those sucky ad-ons, it's musterious and giant. Just as it should be.
This movie fucking rules, man. Funny, weird, moody buildup to a genuinely spooky climax that rivals anything it supposedly rips off. It's not just a Swedish Poltergeist. It's The Visitors all on its own.
And it's beautiful too! Those cobweb sets and that magical blue moonlight with those superimposed full moons. And the house exteriors, totally covered in tree branch shadows. Never gets old.
Mary Shelley was a complex woman. She was interesting and had strong opinions and believed in her values. This is not Mary Shelley, and frankly, I'm sick and tired of these fairytale versions of actual people and events.
Do these people think that we, the audience, can't connect with, and empathize with a person with complicated, real emotions? Do they think we can't understand the sometimes differing moral values of a person from a different time?
Mary Shelley and her…
Tench is an empathetic and sad portrait of a man being a victim of his own desire. He's given a second chance by society, but his past and his very nature is again brought forth when he falls in love with a nine year old girl. I don't think I've seen a movie about paedophilia before that wasn't also on some level provocative and Bold, with a capital b.
Amazing acting and genuinely sensitive scenes depicting someone uncontrollably falling in…
