Trailer: "Paprika" (2007)

I watched a very trippy and interesting Japanese animated film last night, "Paprika." This is definitely not a kids film. Here is a synopsis:

With PAPRIKA, Satoshi Kon (TOKYO GODFATHERS, MILLENNIUM ACTRESS) unleashes another eye-popping anime adventure. The visually striking thriller is set in the not-too-distant future, where doctors are developing a groundbreaking new psychotherapy treatment called PT. This coincides with the invention of a device called the "DC Mini," which enables researchers to enter the dreams of a subject and explore matters of the unconscious mind. But one day, a "DC Mini" prototype goes missing, and the doctors are thrown into a world of confusion. They realize how dangerous a turn of events this could be, and to ensure that things don't spiral out of control, they embark on a mad quest to track down the missing prototype. The pretty but timid Dr. Atsuko Chiba teams up with the food-loving Dr. Tokita to find his assistant, Himuro, who has disappeared. Unfortunately, it is at this time that Atsuko's boss, Torataro Shima, tries to commit suicide. Dr. Tokita calls in an old friend, Detective Konakawa, to help the team find an answer to the rapidly devolving problem. As the characters use their dreamworld alter egos to enter the dreams of troubled patients, the line between reality and unreality begins to blur, until no one knows for sure what is real and what isn't. An adaptation of a story by the acclaimed Japanese writer Yasutaka Tsutsui, PAPRIKA tells a tough-to-decipher, but spellbinding, tale. Kon's thought-provoking film features an absurdly catchy J-pop score and an unforgettable visual landscape.

Here is the trailer:


Here is the visually stunning parade scene from the film:


Check it out. It is definitely worth it...

Seen any good movies lately?

Reprise: The Story of Stuff

NOTE: I posted this about a month ago, but it got lost in the initial caucus/primary shuffle, so I thought I'd repost it now as a respite from all the ugliness on the Democratic side of the presidential race... oops! there's that word again, "race." Anyway, I think Annie Leonard's short film about consumption offers an alternative model to the politics of destruction and negativity we are currently suffering through. "The Story of Stuff" is creative and proactive, even as it levels a damning critique. This is the kind of politic that can be "transformative," because it does not trade in what divides us, but what unites us, and it offers a vision of something better that folks can rally around. If you didn't catch it the first time, I hope you will take a few minutes to watch the film, post a comment and pass the thread along to someone else... Here's to some positivity!

_________

One of the major concerns I have about the environment and which I think often gets over-shadowed in all the (justified) hoopla about greenhouse gasses, is "our problem with stuff," our addiction to material things, to the over-consumption of non-essential goods. We simply live a massively unsustainable way of life. Any environmental movement has to confront this reality...

Annie Leonard has created a delightful short film (20 minutes total) on this issue, titled, "The Story of Stuff, " which combines animation and humor to make a very creative progressive argument. Check it out and pass along the link to your friends and family. Everyone should see this:

Ch. 1: Introduction (2:37)


Ch. 2: Extraction (2:05)


Ch. 3: Production (3:27)


Ch. 4: Distribution (1:59)


Ch. 5: Consumption (6:35)


Ch. 7: Another Way (2:04)

The Story of Stuff

One of the major concerns I have about the environment and which I think often gets over-shadowed in all the (justified) hoopla about greenhouse gasses, is "our problem with stuff," our addiction to material things, to the over-consumption of non-essential goods. We simply live a massively unsustainable way of life. Any environmental movement has to confront this reality...

Annie Leonard has created a delightful short film (20 minutes total) on this issue, titled, "The Story of Stuff, " which combines animation and humor to make a very creative progressive argument. Check it out and pass along the link to your friends and family. Everyone should see this:

Ch. 1: Introduction (2:37)


Ch. 2: Extraction (2:05)


Ch. 3: Production (3:27)


Ch. 4: Distribution (1:59)


Ch. 5: Consumption (6:35)


Ch. 7: Another Way (2:04)