saw Ponyo last night and it's a very solid movie. if you've ever seen any of Miyazaki's movies - it's more like My Neighbor Totoro then Princess Mononoke.

this is one you can take pretty much anyone to - regardless of how old or young they are. it's a very sweet story - there were some kids at the movie theater cause i heard them laughing and saying 'look!'

if you've got little kids and looking for a movie to watch with them then this one's for you. if you are unfamiliar with Miyazaki's works and wanting to watch something with a more adult theme - check out Princess Mononoke, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind, Grave of the Fireflies.

Quoted: While not Miyazaki's best film, Ponyo is a visually stunning fairy tale that's a sweetly poetic treat for children of all ages.

ugh... just finished this movie. i wanted to turn it off half way in - but hoped it would get better. it did not.

great actors in a really poorly paced movie. lack of theme, lack of consistency, lack of rhythm. this movie just lacked everything. it's a shame what the director did to this movie based on real events.

i would not recommend this movie to anyone. you'd be better off watching a blank screen then this poorly conceived movie.

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just finished watching Tokyo Sonata - it's a beautiful movie that's just heart wrenching at moments. the reason i enjoyed it so - the main bit is how minimal the movie is. there's hardly any dialog and that's kind of the point. the family of four go down a dark path as each try to deal with their own issues and in doing so the silence and inaction between the character weaves the story.

if you're looking for a good solid movie minus big summer blockbuster none sense then do check this movie out.

fyi - it will help you understand the movie if you understand some basic asian social taboos and hire-archy . think of a family stereotype of the early 50s for the US. dad is the bread winner, mom takes care of family and home. the kids do what is told / expected of them. anything out side of these set boundaries and definitions is a shame. keep that in mind when watching this and you'll enjoy all the subtleties more.

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what the what?!

i'm starting to wonder about rotten tomatoes ratings. i just saw Big Man Japan last night and was not impressed by it at all. it had an interesting premise but did absolutely nothing with it.

the premise. there's a loser of a guy who can become a 'big man' by being electrocuted in order to fight monsters which come to attack japan. it's supposed to be a funny take on ultraman, godzilla and all those other japanese shows from the throw back days. in that sense it perked my interest, but they did nothing with it.

it's a mock documentary where they follow the last of the 'heros' who is in this line of work. the public has turned their eye on him and he is no longer popular. his the last in this line of work and you feel nothing for the guy. perhaps it woulda been better if you were rotting for the poor sap - but you don't because the character is a loser and you really don't care about him.

the random monsters he has to fight is the only bit of interest but not enough to watch the movie. it's a real shame - great idea unexplored.

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just saw this movie tonight and do not agree with rotten tomatoes. why did i not like the movie? well basically i like movies which are smart and follows it's own premise.

this movie had too many holes in it in my opinion. in addition to this the movie shift gears three times. the first 1/3 of the movie was a setup set in a mock documentary format which was sweet. the second 1/3 changed the premise by adding a twist. i was fine with that as well. then the last 1/3 changed gears again - and then the movie just fell apart for me.

now you can make the argument it's just a fun summer flick - but i can't because there are too many holes. i won't go into them as they may reveal too much of the plot / story.

all i can say is it's a rent.

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watching this now... and i have to say, 14% is too generous. it's painful to watch - what was Frank Miller thinking?!

the acting is painful - the plot is crap - the visuals, good but not amazing. this movie feels more like a parody of itself. like 'Meet the Spartans' was to '300.'

Quoted: Consensus: Though its visuals are unique, The Spirit's plot is almost incomprehensible, the dialogue is ludicrously mannered, and the characters are unmemorable.

saw Watchmen over the weekend and i have to say... it was good but not great. so if you're thinking of watching it be sure NOT to bring your kids or minors. it is NOT for kids. there is nudity, language and really gross violence. there's an extended sex scene - meaning the sex scene could have been shorter but because of it's length you feel awkward. also the blue guy (Dr. Manhattan) is naked for most of the movie... and you can see his "blue man".

so that stated here's my review of the movie.

cons : too long. it's 2 hrs and 43 mins. and sadly the story doesn't move that you don't notice the length. you'll notice that it's long.

cons : soundtrack. OMG! the soundtrack was soooo bad! i believe that the soundtrack should enhance a scene but should not be noticed. like... it's a sad scene and the soundtrack makes it even sadder. it shouldn't make you pause and go.. 'what the hell is that music?'

cons : very complex. it tries to stay true to the comic book - but sadly trying to move the story along in a given time frame doesn't work. for example... in the written format (or comics in this example) you can say a lot in 1 frame. in a movie you have a scene which has dialog and motion - which eats up too much time. trying to say all the subtle things in a movie format is hard. especially with so many different story streams and themes.

pros : it follows the comic book very closely. the director is the same director who did 300 and as he did with that movie he follows the look and feel and story very very closely to the actual source material (in this case a graphic novel).

pros : it looks great. the visuals are stunning and the realism (if super heros did exist this is what the world might look like) is pretty darn convincing.

pros : acting was solid - meaning there wasn't a single performance where i was cringing. they all did a good job.

summary : if you enjoyed the Watchmen graphic novel then you'll enjoy this movie. BUT if you don't know anything about the graphic novel and just want to see it based on the trailer(s) - you're going to be disappointed.

just saw it - wasn't too bad... but his 5 min monologue is the best. it was worth it just for that.

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