Tokyo Godfathers (2003)

While searching for Christmas movies to feel the Christmas spirit, I stumbled upon Tokyo Godfathers (東京ゴッドファーザーズ Tōkyō goddofāzāzu) and, after reading the plot (yes, I did such thing), I decided to give it a chance. I didn't know what to expect because I haven't seen anything from Satoshi Kon, but now I know what to expect if I ever watch one of his movies again, a charming film. 

Tokyo, Christmas Eve. Three homeless friends, Hana (Yoshiaki Umegaki), a transvestite, Gin (Tōru Emori), a middle-aged bum, and Miyuki (Aya Okamoto), a young girl, find an abandoned newborn in the trash. Since Hana grew up without a family and refuses to bring the child to the authorities, they set on a journey to find the baby's parents, starting with a key they found with the baby.

Sausage Party (2016)

Genre

Animation | Comedy

Directors

Conrad Vernon | Greg Tiernan

Country

USA

Voice Cast

Seth Rogen, Kristen Wiig, Jonah Hill, Bill Hader, Michael Cera, James Franco, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Paul Rudd, Nick Kroll, David Krumholtz, Edward Norton, Salma Hayek

Storyline

Frank (Seth Rogen) is a sausage who has always wanted to be purchased. What he doesn't know yet though is what humans actually do with his kind.

Opinion

Even though I have the tendency to like films involving Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, I had very low expectations for this because, let's be honest, it didn't exactly get positive feedbacks. But what a surprise it was!

Definitely not a film for children - seriously, do not take your kids to watch this film -, "Sausage Party" is one of those dumb movies but in a smart way. Okay, maybe it's not that smart, but it still is a entertaining ride.

The plot is easily the most stupid thing going on here, and it can be summed up in a sentence: foods believe humans are gods but eventually find out that humans eat foods. No, it doesn't get any deeper than that. But I have to admit that this whole idea of foods having feelings is quite brilliant. I mean, everyone has feelings in animation, why not foods? Am I right? Also, it is engaging, even though the ending is too happy. 

The characters are also quite dumb and all of them pretty much are just walking stereotypes. Like the Jewish bagel. Or the Muslin lavash. Or the Nazi sauerkraut. But you know what? First, the voice cast does a quite good job. Second, I loved that Jewish bagel because it's Edward Norton doing Woody Allen, and being such a fan of both, it made me incredibly happy.

The next stop is the humour. There's a lot of swearing and sex jokes, basically the kind of humour one would expect from Rogen and his friends. But it's still fun, mainly because of the weird interactions between the different foods.

The most impressive thing about this film is the animation. With a very low budget compared to the other animated flicks and considering it's the first time of the company, the animation is actually quite good.

Overall it's a nice way to spend an hour and a half. Just don't bring your kids with you.

Corpse Bride (2005)

Genre

Animation | Comedy | Fantasy | Musical

Director

Tim Burton | Mike Johnson

Country

UK | USA

Voice Cast

Johnny Depp, Helena Bonham Carter, Emily Watson, Tracey Ullman, Paul Whitehouse, Joanna Lumley, Albert Finney, Richard E. Grant, Christopher Lee, Michael Gough, Jane Horrocks, Enn Reitel, Deep Roy, Danny Elfman, Stephen Ballantyne

Storyline

When an arranged marriage between Victor Van Dort (Johnny Depp) and Victoria Everglot (Emily Watson) reaches the rehearsals, Victor messes up his vows. Spending time alone in the forest, Victor decides to practice on his own. Everything seems to go well, unite he accidentally puts the ring upon the hand of a corpse (Helena Bonham Carter), who returns as a zombie and insists that she is now Victor's lawfully wedded wife.

Opinion

I remember the first time I watched this film, and I also remember I did not like it. Now, after several views, I've witnessed a growth in pleasure each time, and I think most of the credits goes to Tim Burton.

A sight for sore eyes, Corpse Bride is a macabre and strangely touching dark Gothic tale that everybody can enjoy. In fact, while the adults can enjoy the darkness and gloominess of the film, able to cleverly play with macabre - main reason I didn't like it when I was a kid -, nowadays kids, definitely more shrewd, can appreciate the nice and creepy characters.

All the characters are visually stunning, and are able to create an emotional bond with the audience, especially Victor and the Corpse Bride, and although we like to see Victor getting married to Victoria, we can't help but feel sympathy to the Corpse Bride. The characters are well developed and there are some for all tastes, from the spooky villain to the funny worm who keeps popping in and out of the Bride's eye socket.

The most fascinating thing about this film is how it comes to life when we are among the deads. Joyful, colourful, and full of real emotions, it make you feel a lot better about death.

The songs deserve a special mention because they all are wonderful and well performed.

The leading voices could only be those of Johnny Depp and Helena Bonham Carter, whose voice work is absolutely fabulous. Equally important is the supporting cast, including big names such as Emily Watson, Albert Finney, Richard E. Grant, and Christopher Lee.

Quotes

Corpse Bride: I've spent so long in the darkness, I'd almost forgotten how beautiful the moonlight is.