The Secret World of Arrietty

The revered Japanese Anime studio Ghibli have once again proven their artistic finesse with The Secret World of Arrietty, which is their version of The Borrowers. It's much more memorable than the 1998 version even if some viewers might find it slow paced.

The Borrowers are the little people who live under the floorboards of a human house. They take only what they need and what human "beans" won't miss. Among them are Arrietty, her papa Pod and mama Homily. They've been living fine in their establishment, unseen by its occupants Jessica and housekeeper Hara.

And then, by complete accident, Arrietty is seen by a bean named Shawn, Jessica's visiting nephew. The adult Borrowers see this as a sign to move out before human curiosity kills them. But Shawn's just fascinated with the little people, and with Arrietty; can they change their minds?

The only thing I remember about the earlier Borrowers film is that I saw it in the theater. That's it.

What I remember about this version is actually worth remembering. There's the colorful hand-drawn scenery and animation supervised by animator turned director Hiromasa Yonebayashi. There's also the serene musical score by first-time film composer Cecile Corbel. And among the American cast, Carol Burnett as Hara makes her character a perfectly comical villain.

Because this actually came out in 2010, it's automatically disqualified from Oscars next year. That's a shame. Really.

Anyway, the film moves quite slowly and gently for a 95 minute film. But overall, it's a family film worth seeing with the kids beyond a matinee showtime. It's a gentle breeze of fresh air.

The Iron Lady

The whole point of The Iron Lady, it seems, is to show that beneath the iron-clad image of its subject, there are dents. Unfortunately, the way it's presented, this film is also dented.

Its subject, of course, is Margaret Thatcher (Meryl Streep), the infamous former British Prime Minister and the only woman in that position. Rising from obscurity, Mrs. Thatcher earned a spot in Finchley's Parliament in 1959. And then, twenty years later, she began her eleven year reign as the Prime Minister. During which, her policies divided and slashed her country in half.

But for most of the film, we have an elderly, senile Thatcher conversing with the ghost of her dead husband, Denis (Jim Broadbent). Sounds like an interesting film could've been made out of that. But for now, let's focus on this film.

The film's real standouts are its Oscar-nominated makeup men, J. Roy Helland and Mark Coulier. Along with Marese Langan, their rendering of Streep and Broadbent across the ages is a striking feet. Its especially so in their characters' later years, when the prostheses renders them unrecognizable.

At first, I found some interest in Streep's performance as the senile Thatcher. What clenched it for me was the well-executed scene when we find out she talks to Denis as though he was there. But as it went on, and the film glossed over Thatcher's accomplishments, my reaction was "so what?" Ultimately, the film's treatment of its subject can be summed up as good intentioned indifference.

Why should anyone see The Iron Lady? Just so that they could say they did. Still, it's not that bad, but let's try not to imagine how it could've been worst.