Spirited Away

Spirited away is a charming(if not slightly disturbing) Japanese cartoon. It follows the story of Chihiro a little girl who is sad because her family is moving. Through a series of stupid moves by her parents Poor Chihiro gets stuck in the scary but also mesmerising spirit world where she encounters new friends,new jobs,new enemies and first love(awwww.) The animation is two dimensional and beautifully drawn. It made me long for the days before computer animation(don't get me wrong Ratatouille was lovely. And it made me hungry.) This film while somewhat darker then its American relatives (Pinocchio) but still definitely intended for children. Unlike my favorite animated film Persepolis.
This children's film lead me to create my five favorite kids movie list! Enjoy!

1.) Willy Wonka and the Chocolate factory
2.)Ella Enchanted
3.)Charlie and the chocolate Factory
4.)The Wizard of Oz
5.)The Secret Garden

Hello

This the first entry on My film blog and I hope you all enjoy it. I am in the process of watching a famous film entitled "North by Northwest" directed by Alfred Hitchcock and starring the wonderful Cary Grant and the lovely and beautiful Eva Marie Saint. This film centers on a man who after being kidnapped,mistaken for some guy Kaplen,almost killed by an AIRPLANE! of all things, falls in love with the femme fatal who sent into the path of the aforementioned airplane. All of this happens very quickly so this is an exciting film filled with intrigue,murder,henchman, femme fatals 20 years younger then the protagonist ,irritating mothers a year older then the protagonist(huh?), henchmen, money,the CIA, alcohol,a whole lot of plains,trains and automobiles, plot holes and suspension of disbelief up the wazoo, and of course attempted murder by airplane. With all those elements it is easy to see how this film as influenced today's thrillers from the Borne Ultimatum to Casino Royal. In I addition unlike many other classic movies which have become quite dated I could easily see this movie being popular if it came out today. The scene in which Grant is chased by an airplane is incredible to watch particularly when you as the viewer first realizes that the plane is coming towards him. This scene doesn't use any quick cuts or rock songs to make exciting which is precisely why it is so exciting. One of my favorite things about this movie is the fact that we feel an enormous amount of empathy for Cary grant even though it's a thriller. We feel his fear and his frustration as his situation worsens and when the plane turns on him we feel as we are there with his running from that plane. Grant's performance is part of what makes this possible and Hitchcock puts him at the center of every scene. It is easy to see why this remains a classic!