Laputa: Castle in the Sky (1986, Japanese)

Director: Hayao Miyazaki
Genre: Animation

   
Inspired by "The Gulliver's Travel" this is another anime masterpiece from the master of hand drawn animation. Miyazaki once again takes you to a dreamworld with flying machine, pirates, a young hero, and a damsel in distress!
 
The way Miyazaki captures the beauty of nature is better than anything you find onscreen. The creative efforts, thought-process are distinctly visible as always.

A must watch.
 
8/10

Howl's Moving Castle (2004, Japanese - Hauru no ugoku shiro)

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Genre: Animation

World War I is the backdrop for this unusual and, as always, dreamy world of Miyazaki.

Howl’s Moving Castle is strange in an interesting, rather pleasing, way. It is more like a disjointed dream you enjoyed so much but can’t make much sense of. This is a sort of movie where you need to lose all your senses and go with Mayazaki flow. 

Howl is a wizard who falls for a young hat-maker Sophie. A jealous witch turns Sophie into a wretched old woman but this actually unleashes Sophie's enshrouded adventurous streak! They live in a world controlled by secretive magic where two Kingdoms are at war—because of a missing Prince. Howl has always avoided war, however this time he has a reason to get involved.

The movie is another perfect example of hand-drawn and beautiful Mayazaki animation, and its commercial success proves there is still audience that loves olde worlde style of animation. Even those fed on today’s top notch, hi-tech animation welcomed it as a breath of fresh air.

From my very personal perspective I’ll rate “Laputa” above it—as it was made in 1986 and is at par with “Howl” in terms of sheer creativity. Now, "Monoke Hime" and "Nausicaä" are at another level!

A must watch, and a perfect escapade from an unhindered dose of sequels and too much technology—courtesy the likes of Transformers!

8/10

eXistenZ (1999)

Director: David Cronenberg

Cast: Jude Law, Jennifer Jason Leigh

Genre: Sci-Fi

Plot: Set in a future where virtual reality is more or less the way of life.

This movie simply bowls you over! Hats off to Cronenberg—what foresightedness.
 

Even today this movie is way ahead of time. Back in the 90s virtual reality was just making inroads into our lives but there weren’t any serious implications—let alone deaths! However, in last few years “Deaths while playing video games” are all in news. Cronenberg saw the pros/cons of it in advance and made a movie out of it.

There is no point discussing the movie and giving away the key plot, it must be watched. There are elements like mutated amphibians, bio pods, organic weapons which give it a futuristic look but one might find the acting/screenplay part a bit docile, i.e. until you see the climax. The climax simply is top notch and director/actors justify their unconventional approach to the movie.

I have always been a huge fan of Jennifer Jason Leigh especially her intoxicating smile (“Single White Female” and Verhoven’s “Flesh+Blood”). She once again brings to screen a sort of deadly innocence!

 8/10

Unforgiven (1992)

Director: Clint Eastwood
Cast: Clint Eastwood, Gene Hackman, Morgan Freeman
Genre: Western

Plot: The biggest names in Hollywood come together to revive what was long dead, and they do it in style—Western makes a come back!

Clint Eastwood has done more westerns (actor/director) than anyone else I can think of. However, instead of being banal, each one of his films is a masterpiece in its own rights. In the same wild west setting there are such subtle variation in script and approach that you can only admire the master at work.

Once notorious killers and partners: William Munny (Eastwood) and Ned (Freeman) are now leading simple farm lives, separately. Munny’s beloved wife is dead and he has completely given up his old ways—whiskey and gun. Until, the economy forces them to take up a last job after a gap of almost eleven years. This last job is more about retaliation than money, though. The task will require them to lock horns with dangerous Little Bill (Hackman)—the sheriff, rather ruler, of the town of Big Whiskey, and they will pay a hefty price.

To clean any place somebody must get hands dirty and, inevitably, the chore falls into Munny’s hands. A little wary at the onset, in the end Munny is at peace with his inner self and realizes he must be who he is without a guilty conscious.

Another superb directorial effort by Eastwood. Timing, chemistry, perception and many other things might go awry when such heavy weights are involved; Eastwood shrewdly avoids that by giving them all personalized breathing space.

Eastwood had to ensure Munny isn’t swashbuckling like his “Dollar Trilogy” character and does a stupendous job on that. Gene Hackaman as a domineering sheriff is nothing less than mesmerizing.

8/10