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Oscar Nominations (LotR, Spirited Away, and more)
An anonymous reader noted that the
Oscar Nominees
are now online. The Two Towers is nominated for Best Picture, and Miyazaki's Spirited Away is nominated for Best Animated Picture (someday an Anime will be nominated Best Picture). Road to Perdition, Spider-Man, and even Star Wars have random nominations throughout the list. Even Eminem's got a nomination now ;)
There's tons of other good movies in there too (Adaptation, Chicago) and a bunch of movies I've never seen. Anyway, talk amongst yourselves ;)
I believe Andy Serkis was also the motion capture actor for Gollum (if you watch the making of specials on the first DVD you can see him wearing the mocap suit and interacting with the other actors), so he's not just voice acting. He was the underlying actor that the CG was rigged to follow.
Upgrade your grey matter, cause one day it may matter
...are at Rotten Tomatoes.
What, you guys didn't love Juwanna Mann ?
I think in some ways there probably shouldn't be a "Best Picture", because that will inevitably lead people to make to apples and organges comparisons (Spirted Away to LOTR, in this case). However I don't think it's going out on a limb to say that Miyazaki's works are generally some of the finest filmmaking ever.
Miyazaki's work has three hallmarks, none of which are anime/animation specific:
Pacing: Miyazaki has the confidence to let things take time instead of rushing to the payoff. He doesn't need explosions and chases to generate excitement: he uses psychology and timing. He makes you want to know what is around the corner, and then makes you wait as the characters discover it in real time.
Composition: Miyazaki's animation doesn't have the attention lavished on character motion that Disney animation has. It is rudimentary and sometimes jerky by comparison (although this is also used for effect). However, the landscapes he puts the characters in is lavishly realized, almost every frame a masterpiece of landscape painting. Furthermore, these aren't just throwaway backdrops against which the action takes place; the landscape is often another character in itself, telling you about the situations the character is in.
Characterization: It's been said that Miyazaki's characters all look alike from movie to movie. This may be true; I like to think of them as actors that he uses over and over again. However, they are all distinct persons. Miyazaki's stories are character driven; the plot arises out of putting characters in situations. Even while he uses elements of magic and the fantastic, he's most interested in specific human conditions. In Spirited Away, he is interested in what happens to the bond between a child and parent when the child reaches an age where she has the capacity to become independent.
Looked at on these dimensions, Spirted Away is far superior to LOTR:TTT, which in my book is high praise. But it's apples and oranges again. Peter Jackson is somewhat saddled by the nature of his source material. Miyazaki conceives his work specifically for his medium, for what he knows will work in an animated film. For Jackson to try to display the same strengths Miyazaki has would either result in a movie that was several times longer already, or to cut and compress the source material until it was unrecognizable.
I'm glad Jackson did the LOTR movies. But if there were one series of movies I wish everyone would see, it would be Miyazaki's.
Post may contain irony: discontinue use if experiencing mood swings, nausea or elevated blood pressure.
Blockquoth the poster:
...or 'Wings of Honneamise'.
...or 'Perfect Blue'.
...or 'Robot Carnival'.
...or 'Ghost in the Shell'.
...or 'Jin-Roh: the Wolf Brigade'.
...or 'Serial Experiment Lain'.
can anyone believe he hasn't won best director yet?
Yes.
This is only his fourth nomination in the best directors category. In the other 3 years he got beaten by directors of better films.
1990 Goodfellas beaten by Kevin Costner for Dances With Wolves
1988 The Last Temptaion of Christ beaten by Barry Levinson for Rain Man.
1980 Raging Bull beaten Robert Redford for Ordinary People.
OK. Maybe the last one is a bit dodgy but you can't really describe it as a conspiracy when he was beaten by better films.
I hope spirited away gets best animated picture. That'd really do wonders for getting anime into America, and increasing American awareness. Plus, imoho, Spirited away is the best thing I've seen all year that's animated. I dunno, maybe Disney's losing their touch. (So they have to leach off Miziaki.)