“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.

Etiquette at the Theater

Movie theaters require viewers to have proper etiquette so others in the theater can have the best experience possible. These are simple rules that are not difficult to follow and they are not unique to movie theaters. These rules are to keep the theater clean and to make sure others don’t get distracted.

There are two main ways people can get distracted at the theater. The first distraction is phones and the other main distraction is noise.

Phones

One simple way to make movies more enjoyable is to put phones away and turn them on silent. This is the reason it is commonly mentioned in previews before movies start. Not only are phones distracting to the person using it but everyone else in the dark theater will be able to see the glow of the phone.

If it is necessary to check your phone it would be best to leave the theater and check it in a more private space. The reasoning for this is to make the movie theater experience as good as possible.

Noise

Another rule for good etiquette is to keep the noise level down so other people can hear what is happening in the movie. People are at the theater to watch the movie and they are not there to listen to other people talk or crumple bags.

The first way noise levels can rise is by people talking. An occasional comment that only someone close to you can hear is fine but when other people are hearing what is being said makes it not ok.

Another way things can be too noisy in the theater is with food and drinks. A good way to avoid making too much noise in the theater is by opening things that are loud, like bags of candy, before the movie so it doesn’t interrupt anything during the movie.

Another way to avoid making noise is by knowing when to make noise. Trying to see if you still have something left in your fountain drink during a sad and quiet scene isn’t the best time to check. Whereas during an action scene where everything is loud would be a more appropriate time.

Keeping the Theater Clean

Making sure the theater is clean is just as important as not distracting others. The biggest way to helping keep the theater clean is by throwing away garbage. Theater workers only have so much time in between showings and they don’t have enough time to be picking up everybody’s trash.

Another way to keep the theater in good condition is by keeping feet off of the seats. Not only is this important to keep the seats in good shape but it can also be distracting to have someone’s feet close to their face.

The theater is a communal space and it takes everyone involved to not only make watching the movie an enjoyable experience but to keep it clean and sanitary for the next people who are going to 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.

Why Does it Cost so Much to Go to the Theater?

The price to see a movie in theater has increased and less people going to the theater.

Ticket Cost

The ticket price to see a movie at a theater has increased steadily over the years leading to less ticket price sales. The total box office has stayed relatively the same with these changes.

The first thing that comes to mind when talking about the cost for going to the theater is the price to buy a ticket to see the movie. The price to go to the theater has increased steadily over the last 25 years.

According to The Numbers the average ticket price in 1999 was $5.08 and adjusted for inflation it would cost about $9.66 today. This is close to what the average price is now which is $10.78 per ticket.

The ticket price isn’t the only problem though, it is the concession cost. AMC, a large movie theater company, charges at minimum $9.49 for a bag of popcorn. The cost for a drink is between $5.49 for a can and for a fountain drink it costs $6.99 for a regular and $7.49 for a large.

To put this into context at Target it would cost about $7 or $8 to buy a 12 pack of 12oz sodas. It would also cost $4.69 to get 6 bags of popcorn.

For an average family of four it would cost about $78 before tax to go see one movie at an AMC theater. This is assuming everyone got a regular fountain drink, two adult tickets, two child tickets and they only get one small bag of popcorn. This price could continue to go up if other snacks or more popcorn is purchased.

Cost to Make Movies

A big reason as to why movie theaters have to charge so much for tickets and concessions is because movies are costing more money to make. Of the 30 most expensive movies adjusted for inflation only two of them have come before 2000.

Another thing that makes the cost increase is that theaters are charged more by distribution and production companies to show movies. This is heavily influenced by the fact that theses companies need to cover their costs.

These cost gets passed on to the people who want to go see these movies in theaters by prices for tickets and concessions to increase so theaters can support themselves.

What Does it Mean

Ticket prices and concession prices will continue to increase so less people will start going to movies in theaters and turning to other ways to watch movies. Things will most likely not change because the box office numbers will stay the same.

“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.