Princess Arete (2001)

This is a quiet, gentle fable with elements from Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, Atlantis and numerous other tales and legends. Wikipedia reports that this movie is based on Diana Coles' 1983 story, “The Clever Princess”.

I found this movie involving, but do not feel that it would engage and hold most children’s’ attention unless they had a strong interest in anime. The quality of the animation is delicate, almost like a pastel/watercolor painting. On this site the dialogue is voiced in Japanese with English subtitles.

WARNING + SPOILERS: there is also a questionable factor that occurs during the first half of this movie. Adult males are interested in marrying what looks like a child, admittedly to gain wealth and power, but still hard to watch. The Princess is not touched or hurt. She appears to be far smarter than any of these men.

The story seemed a bit all over the place with the Princess supposedly cursed to remain a child. The tower in which she resides is due to her father’s (the King) wishes. However her isolation may be actually due to the Princess’s own wish to avoid emotional pain. There is a resolution by the Princess at movie's conclusion although it did feel that there was more story to tell.

I recommend this movie to teens or adults already interested in Japanese anime.

Jessica Jones Review

(2015 Netflix/Marvel original series)

Season 1 = 13 episodes

WATCH THIS SERIES. This is not your spandex supercilious superhero kind of movie.  It can be compared with those gritty detective/film noir movies but with superhero accents. People get dirty and they bleed.  Mysteries are investigated, solved and re-solved. And yes, some people get thrown through walls.

I love the attitude, atmosphere, acting and dialogue of this series. Although I am a fan of the MCU (Marvel Cinematic Universe) I was not familiar with, nor did I research, the titular character’s lineage in that universe.  I did that to see if I would enjoy this series.  Experiment successful!

I would rate this series with an R.  Yes there is realistic sexual activity, but my rating is more for the violence (random and gory).  The predominant villain in this series is a poster child for a narcissists and sociopaths.  The villain is the best monster I have seen in recent memory. This individual is a human without humanity, which makes for more horror than physical anomalies.

I decided to binge watch this series. Froyo (as in chocolate frozen yogurt) got me through the initial violence and the slower portions of the middle of the series.  Persevere; this series is worth your time and a second season.

IRIS

2015

a documentary on Netflix


I had seen  images of Iris Apfel in ads.  I had not a clue as to who she was. I was reluctant to view this documentary as movies about older individuals can be so dour and gloomy. I gave this one a shot and enjoyed it. Iris the person is as unique as Iris the fashion statement.  Actually she refers to herself as a "geriatric starlet".  Her energy, style, irony and logic shine through the entire film. The filming was so well executed that I could almost feel the embroidered cloth, pet the toy bear and see my reflection in the mirror.  The director knew when to stay on a shot or quickly (and Iris really moves even with recent hip surgery) send the camera to the next place.  Iris isn't all about appearance. She started a successful interior decoration business when that was a highly unusual thing for a young married woman. Now instead of retiring she teaches, does consulting with museums and even is currently distributing her various collections.  Admittedly Iris Apfel is not going to cure cancer, discover life on Mars or reconcile the Middle Eastern factions.  Without any pontification, what are essentially life lessons, are distributed painlessly throughout this film.  Stay for the closing credits, they are worth the wait and are the essence of Iris.

Back In Time

a documentary on Netflix

(2015)


This documentary was enjoyable. The editing and content keeps the viewer focused. The visuals are fascinating. I enjoyed the interviews which told the ambitions and mindset of creators of Back To The Future. While this is a film primarily for fans of Back To The Future trilogy, there are also interviews with inventors who were motivated by this movie and even an individual who felt his focus in building a (non-functional just for show) time machine inside a Delorean assisted him in surviving a major illness. This documentary had a behind the scenes information with Michael J. Fox, a few of the other major characters and technical staff. Superfans who actually own a Delorean and cosplay are shown and interviewed. There is even a Back To The Future live experience where you can watch and sometimes interact with actors (not famous) portraying characters from the 1st installment. Personally I find that aspect of this documentary less than alluring, but it seemed to be appealing to a large crowd. Stay for the end credits where the basic yet fascinating question of, "When would you travel to (past or future) if you had the ability?" The answers were a mixture of funny, fascinating and philosophical.

Twinsters (2015)
 (filmed in 2013)

This movie was a happy surprise. Documentaries can be one-sided, dull and repetitive.  This film had none of these qualities.  I found this movie charming, entertaining and warm. Judging by the closing credits, this movie was funded via Kickstarter.  While this movie is as engaging as a “home movie”, it feels professionally filmed, edited, directed and produced.  The inclusion of  pop-up messages and emoji felt natural. The word “pop” even became a code word encompassing joy, friendship, love and caring.

I found this movie in the streaming library.  I did not read any reviews; the title and the friendly look of the poster attracted my attention.  The two individuals of the title are Samantha Futerman (USA) and Anaïs Bordier  (France).  Both were adopted out of South Korea, but neither adoptive family was notified that either baby had a twin.  A friend of Anaïs discovered a video made by Samantha posted on YouTube.  From that point it was literally only a few keystrokes before the girls discovered one another and met (first via Skype, later in person).

Although this is a documentary, the following paragraphs could be considered as SPOILERS.

Samantha grew up with two brothers, while Anaïs grew up an only child.  While they are obviously very similar in spite of the adoptive differences, Anaïs is the more inward of the two.  Anaïs spoke about feeling unaccepted by others (this did not apply to her feelings about her adoptive parents) as a child. 

The trip to South Korea for Samantha and Anaïs was made to participate in the South Korean Adoptees Convention, but also to reconnect with their foster mothers and adoption center.  Unfortunately the birth mother was not ready for contact or even willing to admit she had given birth to them.  However, I believe this trip helped Anaïs come to terms with her feelings of being unworthy and abandoned.  What amazed me were all the South Koreans who were so accepting of these adoptees, thanking them for visiting their “mother” country.  I had always thought that adoptees were not well thought of by their “mother” country.

During visits to one another’s home and South Korean turned these two women (25 years old in 2013) turned into little girls that giggled, held hands and even slept in the same bed. It almost felt like they were fast-forwarding through the childhood that neither was able to share with the other.  My impression is that this process healed Anaïs.  Although there is not follow-up at the conclusion of the movie to indicate whether these two women are still as close.  I would like to thank their feelings and situation remains close.

This documentary is a well-made and enjoyable showcase of acceptance and love that we should all share.

Abbreviated Netflix Posted Review (due to 2000 character limit):

This movie was a happy surprise. Documentaries can be one-sided, dull and repetitive. This film had none of these qualities. I found this movie charming, entertaining and warm. Judging by the closing credits, this movie was funded via Kickstarter. While this movie is as engaging as a “home movie”, it feels professionally filmed, edited, directed and produced. The inclusion of pop-up messages and emoji felt natural. The word “pop” even became a code word encompassing joy, friendship, love and caring. The two individuals of the title are Samantha Futerman (USA) and Anaïs Bordier (France). Both were adopted out of South Korea, but neither adoptive family was notified that either baby had a twin. A friend of Anaïs discovered a video made by Samantha posted on YouTube. From that point it was literally only a few keystrokes before the girls discovered one another and met (first via Skype, later in person). Samantha grew up with two brothers, while Anaïs grew up an only child. While they are obviously very similar in spite of the adoptive differences, Anaïs is the more inward of the two. Anaïs spoke about feeling unaccepted by others (this did not apply to her feelings about her adoptive parents) as a child. The trip to South Korea for Samantha and Anaïs was made to participate in the South Korean Adoptees Convention, but also to reconnect with their foster mothers and adoption center. Unfortunately the birth mother was not ready for contact or even willing to admit she had given birth to them. During visits to one another’s home and South Korean turned these two women (25 years old in 2013) turned into little girls that giggled, held hands and even slept in the same bed. It almost felt like they were fast-forwarding through the childhood that neither was able to share with the other. This documentary is a well-made and enjoyable showcase of acceptance and love that we should all share.

Pentatonix: On My Way Home

a concert film on Netflix

(2015)



This documentary has it all. There is an origin story, concert footage, travel footage, interviews and of course music. The editing and directing clearly display the energy, warmth and harmony of Pentatonix. The story of how a group of talented individuals evolved into the entity, Pentatonix, is fascinating. So much could have gone wrong, but did not. The members of Pentatonix enjoy one another as friends. This makes the harmony they produce in their music also reflective of their lives. I admit to already being a fan of Pentatonix before viewing this film. The Pitch Perfect series (look for Pentatonix appearing as Canadian contestants in the world contest portion of Pitch Perfect 2) has made a cappella more widely known to the uninitiated, but Pentatonix seems to be the soul of a cappella. On My Way Home has the heart, generosity and talent that I felt when I viewed Pentatonix at live concerts. What I did not previously understand is the amount of individuals who have to combine their various skills to produce a show. Not the least, are the family and the friends who have the generosity to share members of Pentatonix with the fans. When the members of Pentatonix spoke about family and friends that they missed, I almost cried. This concert film is the video equivalent of their live performances. Both formats should not be missed.