Shower

Shower

Mandarin, English Subtitles

1999, 94 minutes

5 Stars

A 'feel good' movie about Da Ming who left his small, provincial town to seek his fortune in the big city, who, when he receives a postcard from his developmentally disabled brother Er Ming, returns home thinking his father was ill. Dad and Er Ming run a bathhouse where the local men come to get a bath, right crickets, and enjoy life at a leisurely pace. However, Modernization rears its ugly head, and the neighborhood is to be destroyed to make way for high-rise buildings and shopping malls. There is much humor and the acting is uniformly excellent. This is a film the whole family can enjoy (there is nudity, but not frontal or sexual). Even if you are not a fan of subtitles, these are so well done they seem to disappear. Da Ming realizes the meaning of family.

Princess Mononoke - Anime

Princess Mononoke

Japanese, English Subtitles (you actually have a choice)

1997, 134 Minutes

5 Stars

For those of you who like dubbed movies, you have that choice. Rainy Day does not. Once again Hayao Miyazaki and Ghibli Studios have brought a delightful story to life via anime. This story tells about Prince Ashitaka, infected with a lethal curse, who must travel to find the cure. And Princess Mononoke, abandoned as a babe and raised by the Wolf God, Moro. Their meeting is not off to a good start; however, they must work together to save the Forest and Deer God, and the animals that live in the Deer God's land as well as the humans who would destroy everything for their greed.

For the trailer, click here.

For the movie, click here.