“Howl’s Moving Castle” Review

An introduction into anime and other foreign movies.

Basic Info

Where to Watch: Streaming on Max or online rental/purchase

Runtime: 1 hours 59 minutes

Director: Hayao Miyazaki

Actors (English Version): Christian Bale, Billy Crystal, and Josh Hutcherson

Rating: PG

Pros:

• Great animation
• Beautiful score
• Interesting story and characters

Cons:

• The American voice acting isn’t great and it occasionally doesn’t match the animation
• The movie can take some weird turns

Overall Thoughts:

“Howl’s Moving Castle” comes from Japan which may make people think twice about watching this movie but it is great. This movie resembles an old Disney movie in the fairytale like story but because it is foreign it isn’t as appealing.

This movie is just one of many all time great movies made by Studio Ghibli. The studio has eight movies rated over an 8 on IMDb and Hayao Miyazaki himself has six such movies. The studio has been nominated seven times and has won two Oscars for best animated feature, one in 2003 for “Spirited Away”, the first foreign animated film to win, and one in 2024 for “The Boy and The Heron”.

Hayao Miyazaki, a director and co-founder of Studio Ghibli, is one of the most acclaimed directors ever whether it be animation or not. He is tied for the most best animated movie Oscars nominations and he is tied for second in wins. His movies are also rated highly by fans and critics on a majority of sites.

A big reason as to why this movies succeeds is because of the score that was done by Joe Hisaishi. It is wonderfully fantastical and it adds to what is shown in the movie.

The animation is the backbone of what makes a Ghibli movie so magical. In a world were most animated movies are turning to only 3D animation or a blend of 2D and 3D animation, like Spider-Man Into the Spider-Verse, it is refreshing to see a good 2D animated movie like this. Every scene has a rich background and the character movement is really smooth.

The best thing about this movie is that while it is amazing there are many other movies like this. Ghibli themselves have other movies that are considered better. The only reason for this one being the first reviewed Ghibli movie is because it has aspects from their other movies in it. This movie also does a great job of showing that other countries are good at making movies and they worth checking out.

Other Things

Let me know what you think and if there are other movies you think I should watch.

“Dune Part 2” Review

One of the greatest sci-fi movies of all time

Basic Info

Where To Watch: Theaters and Digital Purchase

Runtime: 2 hours 46 minutes

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Actors: Timothee Chamalmet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Javier Bardem, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, and many others

Rating: PG-13

Pros:

• One of the best looking movies of all time.
• Great acting from a long list of amazing actors.
• The sound design and score are very good.
• A good mix of action and drama.

Cons:

• It is long at 2 hours and 46 minutes.
• A little weirder than most blockbusters.

Overall Thoughts:

“Dune Part 2” is great. It is a long movie but it is paced incredibly well and there is a great balance between the action scenes and the dramatic moments. The acting is also amazing from everybody and there is a long list of high level actors in this movie.

It is also very well shot with some of the coolest looking shots in recent movies. Although this movie didn’t cost more than $200 million to make it has some very impressive CGI moments.

There aren’t many Oscars this won’t be nominated for. “Dune Part 1” was nominated for 10 and it won 6 of those but what hurt it was that it didn’t take home best picture or best director. Although “Dune Part 2” was released in March it will most likely being the betting favorite in a lot of categories.

“Dune Part 2” is one of the best movies in recent memories and that is reflected by it’s worldwide box office that is nearing $700 million according to Box Office Mojo. It also has glowing reviews across most platforms. There isn’t much more to add to what’s already been said because everything is done so well.

This is a movie that is made better when it is seen on a movie theater screen and not a phone so it would be a good idea to catch it before it leaves theaters. It would be a shame to miss out on “Dune Part 3” when it is eventually released in theaters.

Things to Check Out:

Let me know what you think and if there are movies you want me to watch let me know.

“The Nice Guys” Review

One of the best comedies of the 2010s.

Basic Info

Where to Watch: Apple TV+ or rental options

Runtime: 1 hour 50 minutes

Director: Shane Black

Actors: Ryan Gosling, Russell Crowe, Angourie Rice

Rating: R

Pros:

• Hilarious
• Interesting mystery
• Well written and good dialogue
• 70s style works well

Cons:

• Some more explicit scenes or moments

Overall Thoughts:

“The Nice Guys” is a 70s style comedy mystery that doesn’t sacrifice story for the comedic moments. There is a really good balance between serious or dramatic moments and cracking jokes.

Ryan Gosling, Russell Crowe and Angourie Rice have great chemistry and they are really funny together. The characters are really good because they are flawed but they also care about each other and they are able to bounce lines of each other effortlessly.

The technical parts of the movie succeed too as it is really well written. Shane Black is a good writer with the “Lethal Weapon” movies and “Kiss Kiss Bang Bang” which both received award nominations.

The only reasons people may not like this is because comedy works differently for everyone and people have very different tastes in music. It is also rated R so some younger people might not be allowed to watch.

This movie is a good example of how important the box office is for studios to produce movies. This movie wasn’t very successful at the box office making a little over $70 million compared to the $50 million budget. The budget doesn’t usually include the marketing costs so it most likely made less.

The lack of profit that this movie had strongly hindered the idea for future spin offs and sequels. Fans of this movie really want more from “The Nice Guys” but the future for a potential universe to be created around this movie looks bleak but don’t let this drag down the enjoyment of what we have which is this great movie.

Let me know what you think of this movie and if you want you can mention movies you think I should watch.

“Ratatouille” Review

My personal favorite movie ever.

Basic Info:

Where to watch: Disney+

Runtime: 1 hour 51 minutes

Director: Brad Bird

Actors: Patton Oswalt, Lou Romano, Peter O’Toole

Pros:

• Anyone can watch it
• There’s a great take home message
• The animation holds up incredibly well

Cons:

• None

Overall Thoughts:

“Ratatouille” is one of the most flawless movies ever made. Every aspect of the movie is working at a very high level. There is no wasted time and it is extremely well written. There is a great mix of comedy and drama. It is fun for the whole family.

The animation is almost 17 years old and it is still some of the best animation that is in film. Throughout most of the movie there is a very warm lighting that adds to the comfy feeling throughout the movie.

The characters are also very good. Anton Ego is one of the best antagonists in all of movies and he is only in the movie for a few minutes but when he is on screen he is incredibly imposing. An important reason for the characters being so good is the voice acting is magnificent.

The score compliments the film in a very good way. The movie takes place in France and most the score sounds authentically French. It also includes French singer Camille on a song. The score also amplifies the emotion and feelings of the scene when it is playing.

The overall takeaway from the movie is “Anyone can cook” which might not sound like much but it is a really good message because outside of the movie it means that anyone can do anything as long as they work hard enough. The movie is very sweet

Other things:

Let me know what you think of this movie and if you want you can mention movies you think I should watch.