Solo: A Star Wars Story #2

In July 2018, I watched Solo: A Star Wars Story for the first time in Movix Kameari. It was really fun. 

In May 2020, I did it again on DVD. It was fun again. 

The movie describes the adventure of a young man named Han Solo who also appears as the older man in the original Star Wars trilogy. Nobody wields the Force in the movie, but all the same it is worth watching. 

Han Solo is positive and full of energy. Besides, he is insolent, arrogant and daring. The ambitious and optimistic man is talkative and good at bluffing. He bluntly says what he wants to and he somehow gets through any difficulties with a defiant smile overall. He is occasionally stunned but is never depressed. He always fixes his eyes forward. I adore him. As for his name, Solo, I think that it is suitable for him. I believe that he is not a lone wolf because he has a partner called Chewbacca and flexibly ally to people whose interests coincide with his. He hates to be told what to do, loves freedom and likes to solo. Han Solo is a good and right name for him. 

I thought that Alden Ehrenreich as Han solo gave a wonderful performance as well as Harrison Ford in the original Star Wars trilogy. Then I was pleased and excited as an old fan of Star Wars when I watched Chewbacca and the Millennium Falcon appearing.

ハン・ソロ #2

2018年７月、『ハン・ソロ／スター・ウォーズ・ストーリー』をMovix亀有にて初観賞。かなり楽しかった。

2020年５月、DVDにて再観賞。再度楽しめた。

『スター・ウォーズ』シリーズのハン・ソロの若かりし頃の冒険が描かれている。誰もフォースを使わないが、見応え十分な作品。

ポジティブなエネルギーに満ちているハン・ソロ。生意気で、傲慢で、大胆。野心家で楽天家。口が達者で、はったりが得意。言いたいことははっきり言う。どんな局面でも不敵な笑みを浮かべつつ何とか切り抜ける。落胆は一瞬。決して落ち込まず、常に前を見据える。憧れの人物だ。利害が一致すれば同盟を組むのも厭わない柔軟性も兼ね備えている上にチューバッカのような相棒もいるので、彼には一匹オオカミという形容は合わない。だが、命令されるのが嫌いで、自由気ままに単独で行動するのが好きな彼には、ソロという名前が本当に合っていると思う。

そして、主演のオールデン・エアエンライクは、ハリソン・フォードに負けない演技を披露していたと思う。また、チューバッカやファルコン号が登場する場面を観れたのは、オールドファンとしては本当に嬉しかったし、感動もした。

The Big Short

In May 2020, I watched The Big Short for the first time on DVD. 

The movie was released in 2015. The director is Adam Mckay. The lead is Christian Bale. It is based on the nonfiction book The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine written by Lewis Michael, a journalist, and published in 2010. 

It follows the men who have predicted the collapse of the U.S. housing bubble and acquire enormous wealth in the end. 

It realistically describes how ugly and stupid the company persons were, who had completely relied on the financial system health and the ratings published by credit-rating agencies in the 2000s. I think that persons always must have a curiosity about everything and a sense of crisis no matter how good the economy is, yet they cannot resist if all the people around them have the same opinion. As for Michael and Jared, acted by Christian Bale and Ryan Gosling respectively, both of them have strong nerves in addition to excellent foresight. Character and encouragement are needed, not to mention intelligence, in order to succeed in anything. 

The 1987 movie Wall Street directed by Oliver Stone describes how greedy people are. However, the 2015 movie does the contrast between people who are blinded by their greed and cannot perceive a crisis and persons who calmly analyze the times, go against the current and believe in themselves to the end, which really touched me. 

I sometime have felt that people around me are all foolish and that that is the way it goes. Then since I watched the movie, I have thought that precious few people, who are really brilliant and have a strong belief, are deceiving, manipulating and saving this world and that that is the way it goes. 

マネー・ショート

2020年５月、『マネー・ショート 華麗なる大逆転』をDVDにて初観賞。 

2015年公開。監督はアダム・マッケイ。主演はクリスチャン・ベール。原作は、ジャーナリスト、マイケル・ルイスが2010年に発表したノンフィクション『世紀の空売り 世界経済の破綻に賭けた男たち』。 

アメリカのサブプライムローン危機を事前に察知し、逆に巨額の利益を得た男達の実話。 

金融システムの健全性と格付け会社のランクを信じ切った馬鹿な会社人間達の阿保面が、リアルに描かれている。どんなに景気が良い時でも常にアンテナを張って危機意識を持たねば、とは思うが、周りの人間全員が何の疑念も持っていなければ、どうしても流されてしまうもの。クリスチャン・ベール演じるマイケル・バーリやライアン・ゴズリング演じるジャレド・ベネットは、先見の明に加えて、肝が据わっていた。成功を収めるには、知能だけではなく気骨や胆力も備わっていなければいけないのだろう。 

1987年に公開されたオリバー・ストーン監督作の『ウォール街』では人の貪欲さが描かれていたが、本作では、欲に目が眩み危機を察知出来なかった男達と、時世を冷静に分析し時勢に流されずに自分を信じた男達の対比が描かれていて、実に面白かった。 

生きているとたまに思うことがある。世の中バカばっかりだ、と。でも実際には、世の中は、ほんの一握りの本当に頭が良くて強い信念を持った人達が、世界を欺いたり操ったり救ったりしているのだろう。観賞後にそんな事を思った。 

Brain on Fire

In May 2020, I watched Brain on Fire for the first time on DVD. The drama film was released in 2016. It is based on Susannah Cahalan's memoir Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness. The lead is Chloe Grace Moretz. 

The story is about a lady named Susannah Cahalan who exists and has suffered a mysterious illness. 

I had assumed the movie to be a romantic movie but I realized that it was a serious drama movie halfway when I felt that I had been kind of duped. However, the enthusiastic acting of Chloe Grace Moretz as the heroin, Susannah, really attracted me through and made me completely forget about the trivial thing. She was excellent at acting. Although the role was quite difficult, yet she gave a wonderful performance as the young lady suffering the enigmatic disease. She also had a baby face which was really lovely. Besides, the movie made me really comfortable. 

I heard that the film was severely criticized by critics, though I think that they just watch movies which the staff members poured their heart and mind into, and then they just write to their reviews readily using arcane language. I rely on reviews written by irresponsible but honest laypersons on the internet more than ones by professional critics. Reviews by famous critics are suitable for people like cineastes and intellectuals. I do not like to refer to their reviews.

彼女が目覚めるその日まで

2020年５月、『彼女が目覚めるその日まで』をDVDにて初観賞。2016年公開のドラマ映画。原作は、スザンナ・キャラハンの自叙伝『脳に棲む魔物』。クロエ・グレース・モレッツ主演。 

ある難病を患った、実在する女性の物語。 

恋愛映画だと思っていたので、若干肩透かしを食らった気分になったが、主人公のスザンナを演じるクロエ・グレース・モレッツの熱演に惹きつけられた。彼女は本当に演技が上手い。難病を患った女性という難しい役を見事に演じ切っていた。おまけに、その童顔がとても可愛らしい。もちろん、映画自体も大好きだ。 

この作品は評論家から酷評されたらしい。だが、彼等は、作り手が心血注いだ作品をただ鑑賞して、小難しい文章を書いているだけ。ネット上の無責任だが本音に感じる素人のレビューの方がよっぽど参考になる。お偉い先生達の評論は玄人が読めばいい。参考にはしたくない。

Kiki's Delivery Service

In April 2020, I watched the animated movie Kiki's Delivery Service on TV. The movie was released in 1989. The director is Hayao Miyazaki. I watched it for the first time years ago when it was kind of fun. 

It follows a girl named Kiki, who came from a line of witches, decides to live as a witch and strives to do in a big town where she has never been.

When I watched Kiki flying riding on the broomstick, I thought that an old man looked funny and weird if he flied with a broomstick like her. I believe that when a person flies with a broomstick, the right persons are children like Kiki and old ladies looking like witches. If I can fly myself, I want to fly like Superman and the fighters in Dragon Ball, of course, without a broomstick. 

I felt Kiki to be very cute but I was not touched by the film so much. I was at least impressed with the scene in which Kiki had became not to be able to work magic anymore, so she asked a female painter what she would do in a slump, and then the painter replied that she does anything or nothing. I think that most of the people will do the same thing as the woman in a slump. Never giving up is the most important thing at the time.

I think that the movie is naturally popular among girls and their parents but it is a fantasy fiction far away from a single old man like me. However, if I vacantly watch it without thinking, it makes me comfortable because its characters and pictures are all cute, moreover, the movie is accessible. 

I actually was more moved by When Marnie Was There which I watched recently.

魔女の宅急便

2020年４月、アニメ映画『魔女の宅急便』をTVにて観賞。1989年公開。宮崎駿監督作。初観賞はかなり前。面白さはそこそこだった。 

魔女の血を受け継ぐ少女キキが、魔女として生きることを決意し、知らない町で奮闘する物語。 

ホウキにまたがって空を飛ぶキキを観ながら思った。オッサンがホウキにまたがって空を飛ぶのは、ちょっと不気味だな、と。あれは、キキのような子供や、いかにも魔女っぽいババアが似合うスタイルだと思う。やはり、空を飛べるなら、スーパーマンや『ドラゴンボール』の勇者達のように飛びたい。 

作品に関しては、キキが可愛い。正直感想はそれだけ。強いて上げるなら、魔法が使えなくなったキキが、画家のお姉さんにその話をした時、そのお姉さんが、スランプの時はジタバタするか何もしない、と言った場面は印象に残っている。スランプ時は、誰もがあのお姉さんのようにすると思う。大事なのは諦めない事。 

女の子やその親御さん達には親しみやすい作品だとは思うが、独り身のオッサンには遠い世界のファンタジー。何も考えずに漫然と観るだけなら、キャラクター達も可愛いし、画風も親しみやすいので、良い作品だとは思う。

だが、以前観た『思い出のマーニー』の方が心に響いた。

Laputa: Castle in the Sky

In April 2020, I watched Laputa: Castle in the Sky on my television set. It was released in 1986. The director is Hayao Miyazaki. I have watched it several times but have not done it on a big screen yet. In January 2019, I watched The Castle of Cagliostro released in 1979 at Kinepa Junpo Theater. Since then, I have been expecting revivals of Laputa and Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind released in 1984 at theater somewhere. 

When I watched the movie for the first time in the 2000s, I cynically did it because I could not help but compare with the animated TV series Future Boy Conan whose characters are similar and which I used to love. I then felt that the 1986 movie was just good. After that, however, I heard that fans of Hayao Miyazaki movies divides into ones of Laputa and ones of Nausicaa on the whole. Nausicaa was my favorite and a great movie, so I thought that Laputa might be great like Nausicaa without cynically watching it. Then I seriously watched it again and I felt that it was enjoyable. I have loved to watch it several times since then. 

A boy named Pazu believes that Laputa Castle exists in the sky and the castle was successfully shot by his father. A girl called Sheeta is a descendant of the kings of Laputa. The movie describes the adventure of the boy and girl. 

The scene where Sheeta is coming down from the sky reminds me of the scene where Mineva Zabi is coming down from the sky in Mobile Suit Gundam Unicorn episode 1 released in 2010. I am happy as an animation fan if the scene in the Gundam movie is a homage to Hayao Miyazaki. Although Sheeta is cute, yet I prefer Lana in Future Boy Conan. It cannot be helped because Lana was my first love in animation characters. 

Pazu is not so strong, unlike Conan, but he is a lovable boy. I feel comfortable to watch the boy who purely likes Sheeta and struggles to help her somehow. Moreover, beautiful are his feelings toward Sheeta without lust. 

As for Dola who takes care of Pazu, the old lady is dynamic, exhilarating and amusing.

天空の城ラピュタ

2020年４月、『天空の城ラピュタ』をTVにて観賞。1986年公開の宮崎駿監督作。劇場観覧はしていないが、既に数回観ている。2019年１月に『ルパン三世 カリオストロの城』をキネマ旬報シアターで観覧して以降、この映画か『風の谷のナウシカ』もいつかどこかで上映頂けないかなと期待している。 

10数年前の初観賞時は、子供の頃観ていたので思い入れが有り、登場人物に類似性が有るTVアニメ『未来少年コナン』とどうしても比べてしまい、斜に構えて観ていたので、まあまあの印象だった。その後、宮崎アニメファンは、ナウシカ派かラピュタ派に分かれるという話を聞き、『ナウシカ』は好きな作品で名作なので、それと対峙する作品なら再観賞する価値があるだろうと思い、『コナン』と比べないようにして再び観てみたところ、結構面白かった。その後も何回か観ているお気に入りの映画。 

亡き父が撮影に成功した天空の城ラピュタの存在を信じている少年パズーと、そのラピュタの王の末裔の少女シータの冒険譚。 

シータが上空から舞い降りてくるシーンは映画『機動戦士ガンダム ユニコーン エピソード１』でミネバ・ザビがスペースコロニー内の上空から舞い降りてくるシーンを思い出させる。あれがガンダムのスタッフ達の宮崎駿へのオマージュだったら、アニメ好きとしては嬉しい。そんなシータは普通に可愛いが、やはり『未来少年コナン』のラナほど好きにはなれない。ラナは、私のアニメキャラの初恋の人だから仕方のない事だが。 

パズーは、コナンほど強くはないが、好感を持てる男の子。シータを純粋に好きで何とか助けようとする姿が微笑ましい。そして、肉欲の無い男の子の女の子への想いは美しい。 

そんなパズーを鍛え上げようとするドーラおばあちゃんが、豪快で痛快で愉快だ。