Film Review: "A Letter to Momo" ("ももへの手紙") (2011).

"An unfinished letter from her father is left behind." This is A Letter to Momo (ももへの手紙). This Japanese anime drama film written and directed by Hiroyuki Okiura, and produced by Production I.G. Momo is recovering from her father's death and her mother's decision to move their family from Tokyo to a remote island, when she discovers a message from her father that causes strange events to occur.

In mid February 2011, distributor Kadokawa Pictures announced this film in its 2011 and 2012 lineup of films. In early July, more details of the film were announced, with Okiura announced as writer and director. Okiura had spent seven years coming up with the script, directing the film and creating the storyboard for this film. In addition, it was revealed that the theme song for the film is the song Uruwashimahoroba ~ Utsukushiki Basho (ウルワシマホロバ～美しき場所～) by Japanese singer Yuko Hara, wrote the song's lyrics and composed the music. This song is an acoustic piece, and it creates an image of the rich natural scenery of the Seto Inland Sea. Hara reportedly spent 5 years working on this piece of music. In mid November, the main voice cast was first announced with Karen Miyama, Yuka, Toshiyuki Nishida, Kōichi Yamadera, Chō, Yoshisada Sakaguchi, and Ikuko Tani.

The film stars an ensemble cast that includes Miyama, Yuka, Nishida, Yamadera, Chō, Sakaguchi, and Tani. The film is is a lovely examination of the difficulties of childhood and the struggles of adulthood thanks to the incredible performances from the talented voice cast. I have little in common with Momo, yet I related to her experiences as if they were my own. This represents the amazing talent of Miyama and the genius of Okiura.

The film is one of Production I.G.'s films aimed primarily at female viewers with an intentional story that is emotionally honest. Much of the emotional content is universal, especially the feelings of disappointment and shame that animation can portray with special force. A warm and playful reminder that while we all must leave childhood, we should do our utmost to ensure our childhood never leaves us. A film of exquisite, deceptive simplicity and painterly beauty, with a story that is entirely ordinary yet heartbreaking in its universality. An absolutely magnificent animated romantic drama that captures the essence of how our past informs our present. Touching, funny, realistic and quite wonderful. The childhood segments are very cute and charming but the adult sections drag a bit and are a little preachy. There are few big moments and very little drama in the film, but as it choogs along it gains power and wisdom. A story with universal themes that simultaneously details one girls experience, the film is inquisitive, meditative work of art. Calm, reflective, gorgeously uneventful, the film is easily among Production I.G.'s very best work. To say this film is anything less than outstanding would be arrogant from my part.

Simon says A Letter to Momo (ももへの手紙) receives:

Film Review: "The Best Offer" ("La migliore offerta") (2013).

"A master of possession. A crime of obsession." This is The Best Offer (La migliore offerta). This English-language Italian psychological thriller film written and directed by Giuseppe Tornatore. Virgil Oldman, the director of an esteemed auction house, falls in love with a reclusive young heiress. After he shows her his priceless collection of portraits, she soon disappears with all of his paintings.

By late April 2012, Geoffrey Rush, Jim Sturgess, Sylvia Hoeks, and Donald Sutherland were cast in a English-language Italian psychological thriller penned and to be directed by Tornatore. At the same time, principal photography commenced and took place in Emilia-Romagna, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Gorizzo, Lazio, Lombardia, Trentino-Alto Adige, and Tuscany, Italy, as well as Prague, Czech Republic.

The film stars Rush, Sturgess, Hoeks, and Sutherland. Rush gave one of his best performance since The King's Speech as prestigious auctioneer Virgil Oldman in this sophisticated movie about responsibility, self-imposed barriers and the possibilities of a well executed con. The revelation here is Hoeks. You will be amazed by the depths of this talented young Dutch actress.

The film never really casts off its cloak of artificiality and calculation; its pleasures are minor, however distracting they may be. The film lets us enjoy the satisfying clicks and whirrs of the well-oiled celluloid con trick, while leaving plenty of head room for Rush to twitch and fret in. Something less than the sum of its parts, it is a decent film that should have been a considerably better one. Despite its string of crime-caper clichs, Tornatore's focus on character and relationship helps the film transcend the typical mediocrity of its genre. Tornatore, whose recent history has brought us wonderful action films like Cinema Paradiso and The Legend of 1900, translates Eric Garcia's book about a neurotic con man into a compelling film. The story darts in unexpected, dark directions, but is told by such talented people, we follow it willingly might be a lesser Catch Me If You Can, but it's got a jazzy, understated style all of its own. It's one ride on which you will enjoy being taken. The acting and dialogue and story are all good, but somehow the whole thing feels really poky and tentative. The film is ultimately a slightly tarnished treasure; with the combined talent of its production team, it could have been great, but because of its clumsy writing style it has to settle for just being good. The film is so good when it is good that it's somewhere between exasperating and galling when it undermines our invested goodwill with a monster contrivance out of deep left field. Awkward as it may be, the film's conclusion is a comparatively small sin attached to an otherwise superlative character study and comedy of deceit. An uneven but engagingly quirky comedy-drama driven first by character, second by plot formulas, Rush is surprisingly convincing despite seeming at first like the wrong choice. Just under two hours, sumptuously photographed in noirish shades and slathered in spine-tingling music by Ennio Morricone, it twists every which way to sustain suspense until the final frame.

Simon says The Best Offer (La migliore offerta) receives:

NRL: NZ Warriors vs Canberra Raiders - Part 4

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