the abyss means...

Films I have watched in the last week:

Spirited Away:
Most of the way through Hayao Miyazaki's latest animated feature, which is being released in America under the title "Spirited Away" (its Japanese title, more or less, is "Sen and the Mysterious Disappearance of Chihiro"), a young girl takes a train journey. The train runs on tracks that are partially submerged in water. We never see the train conductor's face, and by now we know enough to be grateful. Her fellow passengers are translucent specters and her traveling companions include a tiny, mosquito-like bird, a chubby mouse-hamster creature (formerly a very large baby) and a masked demon named No-Face who has been 86'd from the bathhouse of the spirits for eating everybody in sight. Compared to what has come before, this part of the movie is an oasis of calm and normal narrative. (Salon Review)

Jungle Burger:
Shame of the Jungle calls to mind the early rude animation of Ralph Bakshi and Terry Gilliam and the wit of Heavy Metal but outpaces other classics with its sheer visual outrageousness and sassy script. Rarely has an animated film been so unrelenting in its staccato delivery of sight gags - comic-book icon Tintin makes a cameo as a belligerent missionary banging the natives on the head with a cross; in one particularly genius scene, a herd of deformed beasts parades by; and animal copulations of endless funny variations appear (mosquitoes to elephants get in on the act). (Wired Review)

Resurrection Of The Little Match Girl:
But it gets more ridiculous. Anyone who has ever watched any old school kung-fu movies might smirk at Ju's training. Before Ju can invade System, he must undergo a period of Zen-like training to enhance his mental powers; in other words, he must catch a fish without any bait. And there's also Ju's secret weapon, a plastic toy raygun named... drumroll please... "The Mackerel" that he controls with his mind. (Opuszine Review)

Some good, some awful. All will leave you dazed and confused. Only back in Brighton for one day and I'm already befuddled.

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