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Inugami (2001)
It's Buffy meets Eastenders, full of Eastend mystery
This is not the sort of film to watch when your in a pop corn kind of a mood. It's Beautifully shot strange slightly disturbing film. Not quite a horror film not quite a thriller more like a dark family slightly supernatural Saga. It's Buffy meets Eastenders
Set in a sleepy village one of the Japanese Islands Inugami is the story of the Boymaina Family headed by a feckless drunken womanizing hereditary Shinto priest Takanao, Miki Takanao quiet Spinster from the start you can see there is some dark dynamic between brother an sister. there the family burdened by guilt and honor to there shine and long and dark history as guardians of Inugami "Dog gods", it's slowly killing them. As in all sleepy villages the appearance of stranger the teacher Akira is the catalyst for sinister deaths and unnatural occurrences like miki suddenly looks 20 years younger. Miki & Akira are strongly attracted to each other things go bad.
Family secrets are revealed dark and unpleasant as is the nasty superstitions of the villages. each revelation adding to the plot and twisting it. It also ask's questions about morality, honor, tradition good & evil all are twisted. There confusing too like what do the dreams mean? what does the ending mean. It does give you enough clues to work out your own explanations. Personally I love oblique endings give you a chance to exercise your imagination.
There are some great characters Tomie Bonomia miki's mother watch her closely say no more, Takanao torn by his desires & Honor you can see he loose the will to live little by little as he becomes more and more detached. And Fusa the delivery girl who looks just like Sandy from Monkey.
Gosford Park (2001)
At last a proper English film made by an american
A superb who-dunit that your not really sure who done it until about five minutes from the end. Unlike in an Agatha Christie the murder was at least done by a main member of the cast,and clues weren't left out until after you have found out who dunit. I thought the ensemble cast was in the main very good especially Maggie Smith's cutting wit. Robert Altman has made a truly superb film about life in a 1930's country house house with all the upstairs/downstairs prejudices and snobbery.The first hour is mainly taken up by perfectly paced character development.Then the murder happens and the guessing begins. I particually liked the Clive Owen character (Parks) an ambiguous and dark character with more skeletons then most and not all in his own cupboard.One last thing,it was a joy to hear real english and scottish accents rather than the sterile "HOLLYWOOD" version that we hear all to often.I cannot understand the compliants about not being able to understand the dialog in this film(nobody on this side of the pond ever seem to have any problems with American accents unless they are speaking spanish of course!!).
Sen to Chihiro no kamikakushi (2001)
Marvelous,Magical,Miyazaki!!
Bit of a spoiler
Miyazaki at his best again. A wonderful tail of supernatural bath time and a ten-year old girl (Chihiro). Chihiro's parents after stuffing them self 's silly in a mysterious dilapidated theme park food bar get turned into pigs. But by night The Park is transformed into your typical Japanese Supernatural bathhouse. Run by A big headed witch (literally) . As luck would have it Chihiro finds a prince charming with a prince Valiant hair cut, Haku. Chihiro must get work in the bath house (what no social workers in the Spirit world), to save her parents and find out the connection between herself and the mysterious Haku.
Technically Superb and visually stunning but best of all it has a wonderful story line full of Japanese myths and sentiment, with a this a jigger of Fairy tale and a pinch of Lewis Carol. Seasoned with Anime references and characters from other Miyazaki films. Like the Mak-Kuro KuroSuke Soot spiders(from Totoro). A rich but light a recipe to delight your cinematic taste buds confirming Miyazaki as the Delia Smith of the film World. This film can be enjoyed by all but the youngest children. It's a Pity Disney still hasn't learned the Miyazaki lesson yet, namely you can make a family Animation that's doesn't have a simple over sentimental formulaic story line that will bore most adults stupid.
In Summary I Love Miyazaki I have his Children but I'm a bloke this is one of his best 10/10 see this film and don't eat in a theme Park.