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JIN-ROH and LoTR


All you beautiful, musical people,

     The Academy Awards are on in the background, and I am only marginally 
interested- just checkin' on LoTR.  Awards shows are generally a farce.  For 
example, the film in my subject heading was never nominated.
      Saturday night/Sunday morning, a friend and I joined eight other souls 
in a small 40 yr. old theater in Harmarville, PA to take in the latest from 
Mamoru Ohsii, an extraordinary director who works in both Live-Action AND 
animation.  As a consequence, his anime films have all the qualities and 
esthetic sensibilities of "real" movies.  JIN-ROH, although directed by his 
protégé, was imbued with his influence and style in every frame.  It didn't 
disappoint.  It even managed to explore human nature in a rather deep and 
philosophical manner, as Oshii is apt to do, but with a true depth of 
emotion his earlier films have lacked.
     Should a film like this have been nominated?  Well, although I'm the 
wishy-washy guy who cries at the news, it was no small achievement that this 
film moved me.  In animation, that is a harder to accomplish than in 
live-action.  Animation has to work at making you accept it as reality, 
whereas standard cinema makes you a wiling accomplice to that end.  Put 
simply, Jin-Roh drew me in and left my senses reeling throughout the day.  
It will not soon be forgotten.
     Has anyone sen this film?  The DVD came out at the start of the month, 
which I purchased, but I hadn't the time to enjoy more than the included 
soundtrack CD.  I wonder if anyone has a theory regarding the central 
character, Fuse.  Did he appear detached throughout the story because he was 
suffering from post-traumatic stress after the tragedy at the film's 
beginning, or was it because he was more "beast" than man, sacrificing his 
soul in the name of duty.  Or was it both?
     LoTR deserved to win, but just lost.  Pity, as LoTR is amazing!  The 
fact that any film from the Post-Star Wars era of special effects, wherein 
I've seen everything, could have "wowed" me the way loTR did is telling.  
This film has staying power.  Twenty years from now, few people will 
remember "A Beautiful Mind".  (Unless you LOVE Jenny C!)
     Finally, I need to say this regarding animation as a form of 
cinematography.  The line between animated and live action film has long 
been blurred.  Large portions of LoTR, and numerous other flicks,  were 
computer animated.  90% of the "Phantom Menance" was digital, making it a 
sort of inverse "Roger Rabbit", but it is not called "animated film" due to 
the presence of a few flesh and blood actors.  Yet not even all the actors 
were flesh and blood!  The stigma attached to animated film has got to go!
     Okay, Jar-Jar doesn't make for a compelling argument, but...

Keepin' it animated,

Matt

np Local News (sniff)


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