Vampires Week: The Lost Boys (1987)

The Lost Boys

Call No: PN1995.9.S26 L881 2004

The Lost Boys seems to be one of those movies that straddle both the worlds of obscurity and nostalgia. Those who grew up with the movie have a sort of fond affection for the offbeat and campy film, while those who haven’t seen it might not even know of its existence. It’s not a groundbreaking film or something you absolutely must see. It’s not even that fantastic. It is an entertaining watch, if for nothing more than to see how comfortable Kiefer Sutherland is in his role of being the badass (a little less Jack Bauer and a little more pre-Twilight vampire).

The story is about two brothers and their single mom to live with their grandfather in a small town in California, a town that is rumoured to be overrun with vampires. Soon after arriving, the boys find themselves immediately pulled into opposite directions: the older brother becomes attracted to a mysterious girl and drawn into her circle of suspicious friends, while the younger brother meets two boys who claim to be vampire hunters. When the older brother’s personality and behaviours begin to change rapidly, the two must work together to find a way to stop it.

Chocolat (2000)

Chocolat

Call No: PN1997 .C445 2000b

Chocolat has always been one of those movies that I’m familiar with, but I’ve never seen. I knew it was based on a book that I’d never read. I knew it was nominated for a few Oscars that it didn’t win. And, because I have a sister and a mother who are both die-hard fans, I knew it had Johnny Depp. I watched the film and expected some kind of romantic storyline, maybe even of the rom-com variety. What I saw was something deeper than what the general summary suggested there would be.

Make no mistake, there is some romance, but it is hardly the center of the film. Juliette Binoche plays Vianne, a single mother who moves on with her daughter to a new life every time the north wind blows. Unfortunately for her, the new town she moves into is very traditional and religious, hardly a promising place to open her new chocolate shop, especially in the middle of Lent. Despite the scorn of the mayor (Alfred Molina) and townspeople, Vianne stirs up changes and manages to befriend a cynical old woman (Judi Dench), a frightened wife (Lena Olin), and a river drifter (Johnny Depp) in the process. But the troubles of Vianne and her friends are far from simple, and it is only a matter of time before the north wind blows again.

Spirited Away (2001)

Spirited Away

Call No: TEMP 1317

Back in November, I reviewed Hayao Miyazaki’s film Howl’s Moving Castle. This time, I’ll be reviewing his film Spirited Away. It was the first foreign film to win in the Best Animated Feature category at the 2003 Oscars and as a result, it gained a great deal of publicity, both for the film and the Japanese filmmaker. Many have considered it to be his masterpiece. After seeing the beauty and magic of this film, it’s hard to disagree.

The film centers around Chihiro, a young girl who wanders into a magical world inhabited by spirits, ghosts, demons and witches. When her parents are turned into pigs by Yubaba, the owner of the bathhouse where the spirits come to replenish themselves, Chihiro is forced to stay in this world until she can find a way to save them. With the help of a mysterious boy named Haku, Kamaji the boiler man, and Lin, a fellow bathhouse worker, Chihiro sets off on the adventure of a lifetime full of wonder, excitement, and enchantment.

Cocoon (1985)

Cocoon
Call No: PN1997 .C662 2004

Cocoon is like no movie I’ve ever seen before. For the longest time I had it in my mind that it was a sci-fi horror film, along the same lines as Alien or its sequel, which came out the following year. Watching the trailer answered my question about its thrill level, but raised more questions than it answered. What was the real premise? Where could the story go from there?

The premise of the film, without giving too much away, is this: A group of people have arrived to St. Petersburg, FL and have rented a boat and a house to help recover some items from underwater. These items, which look like giant rocks, are being stored in the pool of the house they’ve rented. More of them are being brought up and added every day. 

Unbeknownst to them, a trio of senior citizens have been sneaking over from the community living area next door to use the pool every day. When they arrive to the pool to find it full of these supposed rocks, they swim around them, determined not to break their routine. Suddenly these three old men feel young again, cured of whatever ailed them, and ready to enjoy life. The problem? It’s not permanent, and sooner or later, they’ll want to get back in the water.

It's a Wonderful Life (1946)

It’s a Wonderful Life
Call No: TEMP 1649

I have a confession to make. I have never seen “It’s a Wonderful Life”. Now I know what you’re thinking: How? It’s aired every Christmas (multiple times) and is easily considered to be a classic holiday film. The answer is: I don’t know. I’ve seen parts of it, bits of scenes here and there, but never the whole thing. When one of my housemates watched it for a class and I was left behind in the “Haven’t seen It’s a Wonderful Life” corner, I decided to see it. I’m glad I did.

As you may know, the movie is about an angel named Clarence trying to earn his wings. He needs to save George Bailey, a man at the end of his rope. To do this, Clarence shows George what life would be like if he had never been born. Most people know this. I knew that was the general idea when I sat down to watch it. What fascinated me was that Clarence’s encounter with George only covers the second half of the movie. There was much more going on in the film than I had originally anticipated there would be.

Howl's Moving Castle (2004)

Howl’s Moving Castle
Call No: TEMP 1686

I’ve always been a fan of cartoons. I spent countless hours of my childhood with the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles and the Animaniacs gang. As I grew older, I still enjoyed cartoons and their longer relatives, the feature-length animated film. Soon I began to recognize a difference between the types of animation, and such a type is “anime”. As many Japanese animation fans will testify (as will Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory), anime is not a cartoon. Anime is the term used to refer to Japanese animation, be it shows or films. One of, if not the, most influential animator in Japan is Hayao Miyazaki.   Considered to be the Walt Disney of Japan, Hayao Miyazaki has enriched and perfected the art of storytelling in his films by combining heartfelt drama, comic relief, dynamic characters and stunning animation. Howl’s Moving Castle is no different.

For those who have never been exposed to anime before, this is an excellent place to start. While some fans of anime might recommend the classic Academy-Award winning Spirited Away instead (which I will review in the New Year), it would be better to start with Howl’s Moving Castle. It has a more linear approach to the story than other anime films and, as someone pointed out to me, can be considered more Westernized and universal in terms of content. A large part of that comes from the fact that it’s based on the British novel of the same name, written by Diana Wynne Jones.

The story is about a young woman named Sophie who is the victim of a spell that makes her appear old and prevents her from talking about the curse. Her only hope in reversing it comes in the form of a talented but irresponsible young wizard named Howl, who rather than fight or defend anything instead prefers to run using his magical moving castle, powered by an ancient fire demon named Calcifer. Throw in a witch after Howl’s heart, a ruthless wizard instructor and a war-torn kingdom where wizards are used as soldiers. Add in the fact that Howl might not be all he appears to be and you have an intriguing story full of fantasy and adventure.