Movies

With all the medium-to-very-low-quality productions we’ve been accustomed to from Netflix, it was a pleasant surprise and a relief to watch Train Dreams last night. I’ll quote the most recent review on IMDb: Robert’s life is gently lived and not without profound tragedy. The film evokes our own memories, little joys and sadnesses, discoveries, losses, and hopes, bringing grace to our self-reflection. The film is heartbreakingly beautiful. Acting, editing, and direction are just right. ...

We watched Hayao Miyazaki’s The Boy and the Heron yesterday at the theatre, and I liked it. The official plot goes like this: A young boy named Mahito yearning for his mother ventures into a world shared by the living and the dead. There, death comes to an end, and life finds a new beginning. Unsurprisingly, the animation is stunning, and the complex story is beautifully narrated. Mahito Maki, the protagonist, is a kid grappling with inner conflicts and insecurities who recently lost his beloved mother in a dramatic accident. The fantastic and very “Miyazakiest” events that unfold once he and his father reach his mother’s family’s rural residence will help him cope with his loss. This movie’s central themes are dealing with strife and loss, letting go of selfishness, and embracing living for and with others. As is often the case with Miyazaki, while the protagonist is a kid (and a young audience may appreciate the content, possibly on a more superficial level), the target audience is adults. ...

Yesterday evening, we watched The Vast of the Night, and what a pleasant surprise it was. One night, in a small New Mexico town, a girl who works at a local radio station and an older reporter boy listen to a recording of some strange noises. Through the radio and its listeners, throughout a single night, they uncover a series of sighting stories that, from clue to clue and radio testimony to radio testimony, bring them close to uncovering something big. ...