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[Parsely]

So I've come here to be recommended a film rather than recommend one myself; I've heard a lot of good stuff about Studio Ghibli, so I've been considering watching one of their films. Which one would you guys recommend I start with?

Princess Mononoke if you want something very serious and exciting. Howl's Moving Castle if you want a fantastic (as in fantasy but also as in amazing) steampunk. Spirited Away if you want something confusing, spiritual, weird, and a little terrifying. Castle In the Sky if you want adventure and sky piracy. Lupin III if you want a classic story about a thief and a princess. Nausicaa if you want a moving drama mixed with some sci-fi action. Kiki's Delivery Service is there for you if you want an adorable coming of age story with an unsatisfying ending (because you just want to watch MORE of the characters doing stuff). Do not watch Grave of the Fireflies seriously you will cry just don't.

If you don't like choices, then take your hands off the wheel and just watch my personal favorite: Porco Rosso. I will not describe it. That is your mystery choice.

[Vector]

-snip-

[Comrade P.]

This is My Neighbour Totoro, right?. Featuring a big furry goofball with unclear motivation and a catbus.

...Goddamit, I forgot why I liked it, now I gotta go watch it again.

There is also that "Tales from the Earthsea" piece - it's a western sort of fantasy adventure animated by Ghibli, it's nice, but very different from the other things listed.

EDIT: Also, hear me out here, there is an anime film called Metropolis (2001) - it bears uncanny resemblance to Ghibli in terms of detailed background designs and smooth animation. That shouldn't be your first pick, but consider watching that sometime if you will get into that Ghibli stuff.

[Tiruin]

So I've come here to be recommended a film rather than recommend one myself; I've heard a lot of good stuff about Studio Ghibli, so I've been considering watching one of their films. Which one would you guys recommend I start with?

Princess Mononoke if you want something very serious and exciting. Howl's Moving Castle if you want a fantastic (as in fantasy but also as in amazing) steampunk. Spirited Away if you want something confusing, spiritual, weird, and a little terrifying. Castle In the Sky if you want adventure and sky piracy. Lupin III if you want a classic story about a thief and a princess. Nausicaa if you want a moving drama mixed with some sci-fi action. Kiki's Delivery Service is there for you if you want an adorable coming of age story with an unsatisfying ending (because you just want to watch MORE of the characters doing stuff). Do not watch Grave of the Fireflies seriously you will cry just don't.

If you don't like choices, then take your hands off the wheel and just watch my personal favorite: Porco Rosso. I will not describe it. That is your mystery choice.

Also do note that Nausicaa is set in a futuristic setting compared to everything else there (as far as I've watched). Grave of the Fireflies deals with realistic and deep-thinking stuff, and really touches emotion and empathy. I'd disagree that Spirited away is confusing or weird because it deals with the folklore of Japan (ie Spirit > Object), and along with analogies and metaphors in the guise of characters.

But ♥ Princess Mononoke!

This is My Neighbour Totoro, right?. Featuring a big furry goofball with unclear motivation and a catbus.=

to, to, ro

I think it is. :3
That's something I put on my goals-to-watch-someday list.

...Whenever I get a quicker and more stable innernets connection :v
But yeah. My Neighbor Totoro~ ♥ Pretty nice and amazing.
Reminds me of that one stuffed or plastic toy of Totoro sitting in my psychologist's office whenever I recall the name. xD

Missed half of my life missing the Ghibli movies.

[Parsely]

Stalingrad (1993) was a magnificent movie. They really captured the feeling of combat I think, and the German gear is quite authentic. It's also the only WW2 movie I can think of where the Germans are actually depicted as Christians (the company is gathered around a chaplain praying before the fighting begins). The closest example I know is Raiders of the Lost Ark (which is kind of weird now that I think about it since I would think that the German higher ups and especially Hitler wouldn't be that interested in a Christian artifact since they were quite Pagan AFAIK).

There were a few really stupid mistakes though (only totaling about 5 minutes of shit so it's fine since you've still got 135 minutes of quality movie), like Russian tanks exploding after having petrol bombs thrown at the front or the side of the tank. There's also a part where a guy is meant to appear as if he was blown in half, but it was clear that he was buried up to his waist in the ground. It looked ridiculous. Like something out of a cartoon. The effects were quite good before that so I'm not sure what the heck happened. I guess they couldn't find a guy who had no legs to play the part.

The main reason why I would recommend it is that it is a war movie, that is: not a MANLY AMERICAN ACTION MOVIE. There is violence but it's always very emotional, and it fairly depicts the men on both sides without going too far by inserting a modern bias.

[Sinistar]

Stalingrad (1993)

Never heard of that one, sounds really interesting, thanks. I've wanted something better than now-old Enemy at the gates and this sounds it just might be it.


Also, speaking of Ghibli, wasn't Pompoco pretty interesting too? And Ponyo? Never saw them myself. One day, when I do Ghibli marathon. I've only saw, what, 4 of their stuff? Mononoke, Spirited away, Totoro, Nausicaa... yeah, I think that's about it. Strange enough, Mononoke ranks last on that list. Far from bad, but dunno why I've always felt like there just a little bit something missing to complete the experience. t was the first Ghibli work  saw, and English dub even (it wasn't a bad dub, no, but after I saw original Japanese version it just felt like it fits more).

Spirited away is absolutely amazing. Audio-visual tour de force. Interesting characters to boot and story is actually pretty deep too, but at the same time has the benefit of being deep just as much as the viewer wants. Simple story about girl breaking a magical curse? Or something more? You decide.
Totoro is fun for whole family. Seriously. If you have little kids, your own, your neighbors or you will have them in the future or whatever, and you have to show them ONE anime - Totoro. There just something so... pure and innocent about it.

[Tiruin]

Stalingrad (1993)

Never heard of that one, sounds really interesting, thanks. I've wanted something better than now-old Enemy at the gates and this sounds it just might be it.

Hoho! I've a tab open that leads to things like that. xD I think it's appropriate, maybe?

Also, speaking of Ghibli, wasn't Pompoco pretty interesting too? And Ponyo? Never saw them myself. One day, when I do Ghibli marathon. I've only saw, what, 4 of their stuff? Mononoke, Spirited away, Totoro, Nausicaa... yeah, I think that's about it. Strange enough, Mononoke ranks last on that list. Far from bad, but dunno why I've always felt like there just a little bit something missing to complete the experience. t was the first Ghibli work  saw, and English dub even (it wasn't a bad dub, no, but after I saw original Japanese version it just felt like it fits more).

Spirited away is absolutely amazing. Audio-visual tour de force. Interesting characters to boot and story is actually pretty deep too, but at the same time has the benefit of being deep just as much as the viewer wants. Simple story about girl breaking a magical curse? Or something more? You decide.
Totoro is fun for whole family. Seriously. If you have little kids, your own, your neighbors or you will have them in the future or whatever, and you have to show them ONE anime - Totoro. There just something so... pure and innocent about it.

I would slap ♥ on all of this, but have a list of all the Ghibli movies here (thanks a ton for telling me bout that link, Reverie \o/)
Totoro is next on my list to complete after I finish Arrietty. c:
It's a silly time in childhood wherein you're only able to hop halfway or segmented into the movie and then miss the fun stuff. Thank you internets!

[Sinistar]

Tiruin... Tiruin is into war movies? o.o

For some reason I never took you for a war movies fan. Not that I don't approve or anything. You go girl. And thanks for the list.

Also, if you are interested about less known WWII movies, I heard The Battle of Neretva is supposed to be pretty well liked, at least in the Balkans? Or so Wikipedia tells me, never saw it myself though. It has Orson Welles in it, interesting enough.

Also kinda on topic, a while ago I found out that apart from so called "spaghetti western" (Italian westerns) you also have... Macaroni combat.

I have to get some of those. As an interesting side note, wiki says movies were shot in Europe but later in Philippines.

[Tiruin]

Tiruin... Tiruin is into war movies? o.o

For some reason I never took you for a war movies fan. Not that I don't approve or anything. You go girl. And thanks for the list.

I'm into historical movies. *ahem* (which is why I really enjoyed Heneral Luna [story about our own Philippine general] even if some parts were played for humor and may be different from what actually happened)

I have to get some of those. As an interesting side note, wiki says they were shot in  Europe but later in Philippines.

Out of context, given that we're talking about war-themed movies, this sounds more like people getting shot instead of the film getting shot in a particular area. :v
I'm being silly ._.

[Sinistar]

Oooops, yeah, I see how that could be understood wrongly.

Fixing.

[Yoink]

.

[StupidElves]

.

Such a wonderful film, I recommend it entirely.

[TD1]

I'd just recommend it, period. No point beating around the bush - just get to the point.

[Il Palazzo]

If you can get your hands on this one:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tale_of_tales/
watch it!
Salma Hayek gnawing on a heart of a sea monster is the least of its gloriously messy inventions.
It's like one of those old fables, from before Disney's monopoly took root, that tried to teach kids some vaguely-valuable life lessons by scaring the shit out of them and possibly scarring them for life.

[Yoink]

.

Such a wonderful film, I recommend it entirely.

Yes, the untitled film I was totally referring to is excellent indeed. I was trying to post in the Food thread whilst high as fuck.

If you can get your hands on this one:
http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tale_of_tales/
watch it!
Salma Hayek gnawing on a heart of a sea monster is the least of its gloriously messy inventions.
It's like one of those old fables, from before Disney's monopoly took root, that tried to teach kids some vaguely-valuable life lessons by scaring the shit out of them and possibly scarring them for life.

That looks pretty awesome!

The other night I and a few others watched The Holy Mountain.
Not sure if I'd recommend it, but I was sober at the time which probably wasn't the right way to watch it at all.