Karigurashi no Arrietty

Movie Name: Karigurashi no Arrietty
Language: Japanese
Genre: Drama, Slice of Life

Somehow watching Ghibli Studio movies make me feel good, therefore I watched one on my birthday. As always, it did not let me down and I was once again filled with new enthusiasm and a will to fight for survival.

The story revolves around a "borrower" girl named Arrietty. Borrowers are small sized people who live beneath the wooden floors and survive by borrowing from humans. A young boy named Sho comes to visit his grandmother's house, where he sees Arrietty. The story follows the survival story of Arrietty and her family. The movie is all about the will to survive against all odds. Arrietty gives hope to Sho also who has to undergo a heart surgery. The story leaves a deep impression despite being simple and pretty much predictable.

I always liked the simplicity and the characters of Ghibli movies. Sho and Arrietty depicts the pessimist and the optimist respectively. The animation is great and beautifully shows the importance of trivial things in the life of borrowers which are not much valued by humans. The music is okay. This movie may not be as great as other Ghibli productions but still I feel that for animation lovers, it is a must to watch.

My ratings are 4.0/5.0

Kiki's Delivery Service

Movie Name: Kiki's Delivery Service
Language: Japanese
Genre: Drama, Romance, Slice-of-Life

I like Ghibli movies as they depict the everyday trials of human with such a ease in the movies. I recently watched another masterpiece by the Studio.

This movie revolves around a young witch named Kiki. She needs to live independently for one year as per her training as a witch. Therefore she lefts her home and reaches a coastal town where witches are not so common. She makes new friends and opens a delivery service for survival as all she can do as witch is flying. The movies depicts her trials and her efforts as she makes friendship with locals. The movie gives message that everyone needs inspiration to do one's task wholeheartedly. One can continue one's work only when one has strong feelings about the work and great inspirations to do the same.

The movie at its course also delivers the message about individuality. Kiki wants to buy a dress in the movie so that she can look pretty like the other girls of her age but she does not have enough money to spare. In the end it is shown how her way of dressing has become a fashion. Kiki inspires one to maintain one's own individuality rather than following others.

This movie was like all other Ghibli movies with a simple plot and lovable characters. The music was good and the dialogues were simple. The movie is ideal for the teenagers who are eager to go out in the world and experience the things first hand. My ratings are 4.0/5.0

Whisper of the Heart

Movie Name: Whisper of the Heart
Language: Japanese
Genre: Drama, Romance, Slice-of-Life

I like Japanese animation movies. I watched this Ghibli production animation movie recently. Again the movie did not fail my expectations.

The movie revolves around a young girl named Shizuku who is studying junior high school. The plot revolves around her life, her friends, her love and most importantly her aim in life. The movie is successful in giving message that everyone needs to search for one's true inner calling. Humans are like rocks which are needed to be dug deeper to find gems and later to be polished to reach at its actual worth. The story is about Shizuku's journey to find her place in the world. The movie is able to give deeper sense to any simple scene. For example, there is a scene where Shizuku's boyfriend tells her that he wanted to carry her on bicycle on a steep road. But the girl declines and tells that she does not want to be a burden to him, she rather wants to help her on the steep road. The scene renders the beliefs of a couple beautifully without much ado.

As the movie deals with the life and trials we face everyday, important aspect of the movie are dialogues. Scenes and dialogues combined are capable to deliver the message. The music is great. This movie is must for any Chibi movie fans. This may not be as great as "Spirited Away" yet it is a treat for the people who believes in trying and trying hard with everything they got.

My ratings are 4.0/5.0

Naruto Shippuden: Bonds

Movie Name: Naruto Shippuden - Bonds
Genre: Action, Drama, Slice of life
Language: Japanese

I like animation movies and Naruto is among my most favorite characters. I was planning to watch the movies for long and finally last night I was able to spare time to watch this movie. I always believed that Naruto is not just about action; it is about the life in general. Naruto always inspires me to fight with all my might for the things I believe in.

The story of the movie is about Sky Country ninjas, considered extinct during the Great War, who attack Konoha, hometown of Naruto. Naruto is sent on a mission to save one fire village from the Sky ninjas. He there meets with his long lost friend Sasuke and eliminates the threat of Sky ninjas. The story is not about the fights; it is about the bonds between people – bonds between friends and bonds between teachers and their students. I felt that there could have been more to the story as most of the movie is devoted to development of plot and lesser attention is given to relationship between Naruto and Sasuke. This might have happened to keep the movie aligned to the main series.

The action sequences and dialogues are the main selling points of the movie. There are not much to do for other characters as this movie solely belongs to Naruto and his bond with Sasuke. The animation is great as always. The music score is not that impressive as with other Naruto franchise. I will recommend this movie all anime fans even if they have not seen other Naruto movies/ series.

My ratings are 3.5/5.0

Rango

Movie Name: Rango
Genre: Action, Drama, Animation
Language: English

I like Johnny Depp and all his different roles. I love animation movies. So “Rango” was like heavenly movie for me. And the greatest part was that it did not disappoint me a bit.

The plot follows the journey of a unnamed lizard who is left on a highway on dessert due to an accident. He travels to a village named Dirt in search of its destiny. There he gets his name “Rango” and becomes local hero and sheriff of the town by the sheer stroke of luck. The down is suffering from water shortage as somebody is stealing water. Rest of the movie follows Rango’s plight to find the thief of water and bring the prosperity back to the town.

The story is interesting and the animation amazing. On top of all this Depp’s exceptional voice has put life in the character Rango. Rango is not typical, out of the mill hero material. He is selfish, boastful and liar. But when the time of self-realization comes, he shows all the qualities of a true hero. The setup of Dirt town and its inhabitants is far different from Disney’s good looking characters. Yet the movies are funny and catchy. The sound effects are great. The movie may not interest younger kids but it will surely be liked by teenagers and adults alike. I will recommend the movie if you like goofiness of Depp, combined with some excellent animation movie.

My ratings are 4.5/5.0

Tangled

Movie Name: Tangled
Genre: Drama, Comedy, Romance
Language: English

I watched this movie on Friday evening. I wanted to watch this movie for long due to its positive reviews. Besides I am an avid fan of Disney animated movie.

The story was changed a bit from the classic story keeping the charm intact. There is a princess who is stole by an evil lady and kept in a tower to get benefitted from her magical hair which can heal and grant youth. There is an orphan who steals to fulfill his dreams and there is a horse who is loyal to his master and tries its best to fulfill its master’s duty by catching the thief. It was a typical Disney movie with all the contents to make it worth a watch.

Most important aspect of the movie is the music. The scores are good and melodious. The movie gives a message to dream and to try for achieving that dream. The animation and voice acting are great. It is total feast for family.

My ratings are 4.0 / 5.0

Megamind

Movie Name: Megamind
Genre: Action, Comedy
Language: English

I watched this movie on last Saturday night. I wanted to watch this movie for a long time.

The story of the movie is pretty simple. There is a villain who feels aimless due to the death of the Hero. He creates another Hero to get himself busy. The creation turns sour and now the responsibility to save the people lies with the villain. Story indicates some philosophical points strongly. One of them is that balance is the key to the existence. Balance between good and evil, balance between work and life, balance. An interesting finding was that why should a person renounce all his personal desires to become a super hero and public figure.

As for the voice acting, Will Farrell and Tina Fey were superb as the main cast. Other actors also did justice to their roles. Animation was superb. I saw the movie in 2D but realized that 3D version will be a treat for eyes. There are some good fighting sequences also.

Overall this movie gives a much needed break from all busy life. Being a avid fan of animation my rating is 4.0/5.0.