Films in Review

Saw Studio Ghibli’s #FromUpOnPoppyHill. Actually a lot like Howl’s Moving Castle, minus Howl, the castle, or the moving.

#FromUpOnPoppyHill. The synopsis sounds soap-opera. The film, however, is tranquility, serenity, sweetness itself …

… Then the soap-opera-sounding plot turns out to be anything but. As so often, there’s the cover, & then there’s the actual book.

#FromUpOnPoppyHill. The Miyazakis again exploring & demonstrating the thing they do best, what may be their great contribution …

… to films, & to the world. For all we may hear to the contrary, here is the the dramatic substance of virtuous protagonism …

… (cf. H. Miyazaki, ’84, ’01, ’04) & of basically conflict-free narrative (’88, ’89). Bracing. Beautiful!