The Secret World of Arrietty

Japanese, English

2010

94 minutes

5 Stars

When I was in 5th or 6th grade, my neighbor gave me a copy of The Borrowers and later, when it came out, The Borrowers Afield. They have remained some of my favorite childhood books, and when I discovered this movie by Studio Ghibli, I had to order it. I was not disappointed! I watched it in Japanese with English subtitles, and loved every bit of it. Arrietty becomes friends with a human boy, and now the family must leave the home they love to find another place where they can settle and live without humans knowing about them. Borrowers only borrow what won't be missed — a cube of sugar, a leaf of tea, a dropped pin, a bit of gas and electricity, that bead you dropped and could never find. Family entertainment for all ages.

Trailer

23 Across -- 19 Down

Wordplay

Documentary
English

94 Minutes, 2006

4 Stars

Charter On-Demand, Free Movies.

Family entertainment on how crosswords puzzles are made, who makes them, and who works them. Will Shortz, the Crossword Editor for the New York Times is one of the main people, also Ken Burns, Jon Stewart, and Bill Clinton made appearances. The highlight is the championship games at the end.

When I was in high school, I mentioned to my science teacher about a final I had in 9th grade, that was a crossword puzzle. She immediately assigned me to write a final for her, as a crossword puzzle. It took a while, but once done, she made very few changes, filed it away, and a couple years later used it.

Trailer

Come Fly With Captain Abu Raed

21  Captain Abu Raed

Arabic, English subtitles

1002 Minutes, 2009

5 Stars

Too bad The Hedgehog couldn't have been done like this! Abu Raed is a widower with no children other than his books. He works as a janitor at the Amman airport who finds a Captain's hat in the trash. He brushes it off, and wears it. One of the neighborhood boys sees it, and insists Abu Raed is a pilot, even though he says otherwise. The next morning, several children are at his door to hear his adventures; and so begins a delightful story. Of course, there is some sadness to be expected, but the beauty of the story far outweighs it. This is a movie the whole family can enjoy. And I understand the children were locals. My only complaint is the DVD is so far out of my price range I can't afford it.

Trailer 

Quidam! The Weightless Troupe;-)

Quidam: Cirque du Soleil

French (no dialog, but there are subtitles)

90 minutes

5 Stars

This is the CdS I know and love. Stunning acrobatics, marvelous illusions and performances. Zoe is a young child ignored by her parents and finds herself in a magical world, which we get to share. Cirque do Soleil is never ordinary, and this was spectacular. Somehow, they seem to have voided the effects of gravity, or perhaps they are merely weightless. A show the whole family can watch and enjoy. Great comedy and many chances to laugh outloud!

Trailer

Toy Story 3

Toy Story 3

English

2010, 103 minutes

5 Stars

Rainy Day needs to state up front, if it's from Pixar, she's biased – her brother works there. Rainy Day loved Toy Story, and Toy Story 2, and saw no reason why she wouldn't love 3 as much – or more, if possible. And she did. Pixar has done a wonderful job in keeping the story alive, and fresh through all 3 films. This is a laugh-out-loud kind of film, with a spot where tears are appropriate. At one point, it did bring to mind a certain Wookie and trash masher sequence;-) Marvelous voice acting by a terrific cast, and fantastic cartoons. If it comes from Pixar or Studio Ghibli, you know you're in for a great movie!

Trailer

More Anime, Castle in the Sky

Castle in the Sky

Anime, English (or Japanese with subtitles)

1986, 125 minutes

5 Stars

Okay, Rainy Day admits it, she likes good anime. She finds it a little disconcerting that the anime from Japan is so, well, Western. The characters are western, and in this case the buildings were quite western, but none of that detracted from the story. Sheeta has a magic stone others want, and this is the story of how she, and her boy friend Paku find the magic land of Laputa and take care of the bad guys. They are pursued by the evil government officials who want the fabled gems of Laputa, her evil cousin who wants the power of Laputa, and a band of bumbling pirates who want wealth and riches and end up helping the kids. Rainy Day enjoyed listing to the Japanese version, with English subtitles. Great animation.

For a trailer, click here.

For the movie, in English, click here.