It’s a shame that Michel Ocelot’s charming, visually stunning Azur & Asmar has had such little exposure to date. The film first screened in France in 2006, and yet is credited with only some festival appearances and a limited release this past fall – its weeklong run this month at the Gene Siskel Film Center [...]
Entries Tagged as 'Animation'
Azur & Asmar
January 8th, 2009 · No Comments
Tags: Animation · Capsule · Drama · Family · Foreign Language · Romance
Princess Mononoke
January 7th, 2007 · No Comments
While Hayao Miyazaki’s beautiful creations can sometimes be scary, Princess Mononoke was significantly grittier than, say, Howl’s Moving Castle or certainly My Neighbor Totoro. And although I would prefer a child watch a Miyazaki film than many alternatives, the occasional carnage earns this film its PG-13 rating. Not unlike the recent Pan’s Labyrinth (see review), [...]
Tags: Action/Adventure · Animation · Director · Romance · War
My Neighbor Totoro
October 8th, 2006 · No Comments
Animated family films are generally not high on my list of entertainment priorities. I do, however, have a fond regard for the Disney classics of my youth. (The best of which is 101 Dalmatians, by the way.) With a few notable exceptions, though, I find that recent animated features from U.S. studios are lazy in [...]
Howl’s Moving Castle
April 13th, 2006 · 1 Comment
One cannot deny the power and artistry of Hayao Miyazaki, whose significant body of traditionally-drawn animated feature films are second to none because the level of his craft, his witty attention to detail, and his unique style of storytelling. Based in part on the accolades, including an Oscar win, garnered by Spirited Away, a broader [...]
Tags: Animation · Director · Family
Save the Green Planet!
April 2nd, 2006 · No Comments
This film is something else, and the filmmakers know it. The clever trailer for the film features intertitles that say “This is not horror,” “This is not sci-fi,” “This is not comedy,” etc., each one displayed before clips that appear to contradict each claim. Add to the list martial arts action flick, revenge [...]
Tags: Action/Adventure · Animation · Comedy · Foreign Language · Horror · Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Here are this morning’s Oscar-nominated films, alphabetically. The nominees for foreign language film and documentary feature are compiled at the end of the list. (Short format nominees are listed in a 
