OK Go!

Friday Night Howl

Ah, happiness. I'm rested, it's a gorgeous day (sunny, 74F, breeze), and I'm meeting Christi tonight to see "Howl's Moving Castle," the critically acclaimed new film from Japan's master animator, Hayao Miyazaki, based on the children's novel by Diana Wynne Jones. I saw "Spirited Away," Miyazaki's last animated masterpiece, and it was like nothing I'd seen before - endlessly imaginative but organic and therefore real, and with a story that deserves to be as iconic as "The Wizard of Oz." I can't wait! Full report tomorrow...

I recently saw "The Incredibles" on DVD, which, as American animation goes, was superb, well-written, well-drawn, and deftly acted. The premise is that lawsuits have put superheroes out of business and forced them underground, trying to live a normal, middle class family life. Holly Hunter as the mother, ex-Elastigirl (pictured below), is particularly affecting with her combination of wisdom, sadness, and deep love for her family. Politically, this film is provocative in the sense that it protests equalization and defends the right of people with superior talents and abilities to exercise them - this is could be viewed as conservative (anti-socialism and anti-affirmative action) or liberal (pro-diversity, anti-discrimination, pro-individuality, pro-accepting people for who they are). It's much more to chew on that, say, a typical Disney outing...