Day: October 15, 2014

LFM Reviews Studio Ghibli’s The Tale of Princess Kaguya

By Joe Bendel. It is a quite a story of social mobility, especially for Tenth Century Japan. Of course, it is a folktale, but it is considered Japan’s oldest surviving narrative (even predating The Tale of Genji). It inspired adaptations from the likes of Kon Ichikawa, but the lush, budgets-be-damned Studio Ghibli treatment may very well come to be recognized as the definitive big screen production of “The Tale of the Bamboo Cutter.” Representing most likely the penultimate release from the storied studio, Isao Takahata’s The Tale of Princess Kaguya opens this Friday in New York at the IFC Center.

One day, Okina, the stout-hearted bamboo cutter, discovered a miniature princess dressed up in regal finery within one of the shoots he had chopped. Taking her home to his wife Ona, the precious princess transforms into the infant they never had. Miraculously, Ona discovers she is still able to nurse the baby they presume to be heaven-sent. “Princess,” as Okina simply calls her, grows up quickly, soon maturing to the level of the nearest children, who affectionately call her “Bamboo.” She loves the simple pleasures of nature and the company of her rambunctious friends. However, Okina believes his faith in her royal destiny is vindicated when he discovers miraculous caches of gold and silk in yet more fateful bamboo shoots.

Okina uses the gold to build a palatial estate in the capitol, buying his way into elite society. Unfortunately, his worldly ideas of happiness are at odds with her more spiritual conceptions. Despite her love for her adopted parents, Princes Kaguya, as she has been officially dubbed, consistently foils his plans to codify her royal status. Eventually, her ensuing unhappiness will have cosmic repercussions.

It is hard to imagine another animated film prominently featuring a princess that is as likely to frustrate young Frozen fans as Princess K surely will. It is an extraordinarily elegant, visually arresting film, but it is also exquisitely tragic, unabashedly literate, and rich with symbolic texture. It additionally represents some of accomplished Japanese film composer Joe Hisaishi’s most distinctive work, but the entire film is probably too sophisticated, in an almost rarified way, to garner much Oscar love in any category.

From "The Tale of Princess Kaguya."

Regardless, Princess K is a stunning example that animation can truly be a work of art. Takahata’s hand-drawn animation evokes the austere beauty of traditional Japanese watercolor, but the resolution and color palate shift to reflect Kaguya’s emotional state. Dramatically, it is a disciplined slow-builder, earning every tear it jerks down the stretch, fair and square.

Frankly, it is easy to get stuck on the ethereal beauty of Princess K, but there is an awful lot going on beneath the surface. Kaguya represents a refreshingly independent-minded and psychologically complex princess, particularly during the Heian era. Arguably, it is also the first science fiction story ever, taking into account Kaguya’s full origin, which is only revealed late in the third act. It is easily the best new animated film of the year, unless you also count Hayao Miyazaki’s Studio Ghibli release, The Wind Rises (which had a brief Oscar qualifying run late last year). Very highly recommended for mainstream audiences as well as animation enthusiasts, The Tale of Princess Kaguya opens this Friday (10/17) at the IFC Center, with special preview screenings scheduled for tonight and tomorrow night.

LFM GRADE: A

Posted on October 15th, 2014 at 9:10pm.

LFM Reviews Stephen King’s Big Driver on Lifetime

From "Big Driver."

By Joe Bendel. In publishing, the term “cozy” describes mysteries in the Miss Marple tradition. It is often used derisively as short hand for old lady books, until the author hits the bestseller list, at which point they become divas and we kiss up to them. Tess Thorne is not there yet, but she was getting close. Unfortunately, a violent attack will interrupt her well planned life in Lifetime’s adaptation of Stephen King’s novella Big Driver, which premieres this Friday on the cable network.

“Self-promoter” is a term we also use for authors who are compulsively willing to drive off to an event where they might sell a few copies. Thorne assumes her latest library speaking engagement will be that sort of gig. She does fine with her fans, but she runs into terrible trouble when Ramona Norville, the programming librarian, suspiciously punches a so-called shortcut into her GPS. Instead, she takes a detour into Hell when some jagged road debris punctures her tire. At first, she thinks the man she will eventually know as “Big Driver” is a Good Samaritan, but he turns out to be a homicidal sexual predator.

Let’s be up-front and frank about this. The sexual assault Thorne endures is far more graphic and intense than anything you would expect from anything on commercial cable, especially Lifetime, for crying out loud. It will be a deal-breaker for many people, so be forewarned. On the other hand, it certainly establishes the stakes and lays the dramatic framework for the somewhat dissociative state in which Thorne plans her vengeance.

Left for dead by her tormentor, Thorne never considers reporting Big Driver to the police for a number of mostly rational reasons (sadly). Instead, she tracks down her assailant employing her mystery writer’s deductive reasoning and attention to detail. She will do this alone, but her subconscious will offer commentary in the guise of Doreen, the leader of her novel’s crime-solving knitting circle and her GPS (this works a lot better than it sounds).

So yes, Big Driver is dark, but it is also intense. Screenwriter Richard Christian Matheson (the son of the legendary Richard Matheson, who has adapted King for television before) really gets into the dark corners of the human psyche, combining elements of the psycho horror movie and the Death Wish thriller. Director Mikael Salomon (the cinematographer on Backdraft and The Abyss) maintains an atmosphere of dread and moral ambiguity that ought to meet with the author’s approval. Frankly, though, he might push things too far in the first act.

From "Big Driver."

Maria Bello gives a brave performance in Thorne’s victimization scenes and is also impressively fierce during the subsequent payback sequences. As Norville, Compliance’s Ann Dowd continues to make a name for herself as the go-to creepy late-middle-aged lady. Joan Jett also adds some attitude as Betsy Neal, a bartender who helps Thorne pick up Big Driver’s trail.

Big Driver is the second novella from King’s Full Dark, No Stars collection to get a dramatic treatment this month, closely following Peter Askin’s Stephen King’s A Good Marriage. That’s half the book. So far, so good. Thanks to the contributions of Salomon, Matheson, and Bello (and King too, by extension), Big Driver is a taut, provocative telefilm, but it might be too much for the network’s regular viewers. Recommended for King fans, Big Driver airs this Saturday (10/18) on Lifetime.

LFM GRADE: B

Posted on October 15th, 2014 at 9:09pm.