The Boy and The Heron (2023)

 

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Hayao Miyazaki just doesn't want to truly retire...and honestly, I am so glad. What would I have done without this movie? Being all at once dark, cute, quirky, and beautiful, t's not going to be for everyone (something I feel like I've been saying a lot about my movie choices lately), but if you are a fan of Studio Ghibli films, I really think this one is an amazing addition to their collection.

What's this film about? I almost don't want to tell you! In some ways, I don't know if I even could do it justice. I walked into it after seeing a trailer for it, but didn't really know much, honestly. And I really feel like that was a perfect way to experience it. Twist after twist, laugh after laugh, and constantly waffling between awe and bewilderment, it was an incredibly fun cinema experience. There are some dark moments (particularly at the beginning), so be aware that this isn't a young child-friendly film.

I watched this one in Japanese with English subtitles. I was happy to watch it either way, and would love to watch it again in the future with the English dubbing. I feel like both methods have their merits, and often different experiences, so I would say to watch it in whichever way works best for you. I know that for some it can be difficult to focus on anything other than the subtitles in a piece, and this movie is so visually stunning that I would make sure you watch whichever method allows you to see that to its full extent.

Here's what I feel I can say about it:
It's fantastical
The animation is beautiful
There are multiple twists that I don't think you'll see coming
The music is gorgeous
You might honestly question what kind of fever dream you walked into multiple times

So, without telling you too much other than this, I would absolutely recommend it!

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Do you enjoy animation? Have you seen any Studio Ghibli films before? If so, what are your favourites?

Copenhagen (2014)

This post contains some information that may, although mildly, spoil portions of the plot. If you would like to avoid any chance of spoilers, please come back to this post after watching the film!

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Copenhagen is a 2014 film by Mark Raso, starring Gethin Anthony and Frederikke Dahl Hansen. 

The tagline for this one really says is all - "When the girl of your dreams is half your age, it's time to grow up". William, travelling to Copenhagen to deliver a letter to his unknown grandfather, meets Effy who is interning at his hotel. Upon asking for help, William and Effy are now tied together (for better or for worse) through William's journey to learn about his family.

This movie is absolutely not for everyone. Based on today's sensibilities, there are a lot of people who are going to feel highly bothered, offended, or creeped out by this movie, and I completely get it - but it didn't feel that way to me while watching it. Perhaps its all of the French movies I used to watch, or how I separate things in my head, but I was both fine with it as well as recognizing its problematic nature.

At its core, it's a film about a man with some serious emotional parent-related trauma, and a girl he meets, who is in that phase between girl and woman and learning what that means. These two form a relationship, all at once necessary and healing, yet unhealthy and rash. Their age difference is significant - Effy, is 14, just on the cusp of turning 15 - the age of consent in Denmark, and William is 28. Although Effy doesn't know William's exact age at the start, she has a better idea of the difference than he does - William is fully ignorant of it. And when he does know, he is both horrified and cautious.

Perhaps this is where all of their knowledge of each other should have ended, but it doesn't. If it progressed any further than it does in the movie, I would be highly bothered by it. However the director and writer, Mark Raso, handles it in a way that I think is tasteful, beautiful, and an experience of growth for both characters, rather than a terrifying cautionary tale.

It's a movie that ends peacefully, even if not exactly happily. You wonder what the future holds, but also don't feel like you need to know that in order to sit with it.

There are a lot of things to dislike in this movie, not just limited to inappropriate relationships: underage drinking, bad friendships, creepy interactions with a parent's partner, theft, breaking and entering. I would advise most watchers to be aware of their own feelings about viewing these things before they start. Although so many movies and shows portray these things now, and many may be numb to them, they can be jarring to others, especially when you realize how young the characters are.

Overall this is one that I enjoyed and would be happy watching again in the future.

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Have you seen this movie before? What did you think? How do you feel about problematic themes in film - do you find them fascinating? - do you avoid them?

TMST: Favourite Supernatural Creature

 Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly feature started by the lovely Rainy Day Ramblings, and now hosted by a team of bloggers, Roberta @ Offbeat YA, Karen @ For What It's Worth, Berls @ Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life, Jen @ That's What I'm Talking About, and Linda @ Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell.

What is your favorite supernatural creature?

As a lifelong fan of fantasy and mythology, I think it's pretty safe to say that I can instantly think of a dozen supernatural creatures that I love. Picking a favourite is kind of like picking a favourite flower in a garden that you lovingly cultivated. And yet, there is always one creature that stands out for me in a different way than the rest...

The Phoenix.

I have always loved them. From their beautiful flame coloured feathers, to their sleek appearance, to their symbolism of rebirth - they have always fascinated and charmed me. So, if absolutely forced to choose favourites here, I feel very little torment at listing them as mine.

I feel that I would be remiss without mentioning a few others that fight for dominance here:

Gryphon
Manticore
Cŵn Annwn
Ouroboros
Cockatrice

There are so many incredible ones from different mythologies and cultures around the world, and I am constantly fascinated to hear more. Do you have any favourites? Tell me about them!

TMST: Libraries - Online or In-Person?

 Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly feature started by the lovely Rainy Day Ramblings, and now hosted by a team of bloggers, Roberta @ Offbeat YA, Karen @ For What It's Worth, Berls @ Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life, Jen @ That's What I'm Talking About, and Linda @ Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell.

Libraries: do you prefer to visit in-person or check out on-line?

No contest for me this week - I am a browser through and though (and no, I don't mean Google Chrome...ha...ha...ha). Whether it's a bookstore, thrift store shelves of CDs, or you name it, I love to stare down the endless racks and shelves until my eyes hurt. 

Online content is great - I love it for when I'm going on a trip, or when I desperately want to read or watch something that is out in its physical copy, or when I'm feeling sick. Otherwise I love to make the time to go to the physical library. And yes, even though I'm been working in one for a long time, I still love going to them. Any time I'm in a different city, I love going to visit their library. I love large libraries, small county ones - you name it. Show me how you catalogue and classify, how you file, what types of resources you have for kids or students. I just can't get that kind of experience online.

I'm so happy that the online content exists - it's an incredible option to have, and makes things accessible to so many people, but I will keep the physical libraries alive for us all with my enthusiasm for them.

TMST: Going on Vacation

Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly feature started by the lovely Rainy Day Ramblings, and now hosted by a team of bloggers, Roberta @ Offbeat YA, Karen @ For What It's Worth, Berls @ Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life, Jen @ That's What I'm Talking About, and Linda @ Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell.

Overnights, long weekends, a week away: What's your preference for a trip?

Usually when I go on a trip, it's for about a week at a time because I end up going to a different province. Being from Canada, this is a pretty significant distance to travel a lot of the time, so a large chunk of the first and last day are spent exclusively travelling to and from that location. However, I find by the end that, although I want to experience more things, I desperately want to relax and be back in my own bed.

Overnights though, I feel like can be a bit too short. If I am in a different city, and want to experience a bunch of things, they may not be open on one of the days (especially if you go on a weekend), or I may just not have the time to fit them in on one of the days. Long weekends, although often busier with more people being off, are ideal. I just prefer to make it a weekend where it isn't already a holiday weekend to get the best of both worlds.

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What about you? What's your preference? Is there a trip or vacation you are looking forward to soon?

TMST Favourite Summer Thing

 Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the lovely Rainy Day Ramblings, and currently assisted by a team of bloggers, Roberta @ Offbeat YA, Karen @ For What It's Worth, Berls @ Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life, Jen @ That's What I'm Talking About, and Linda @ Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell.

What is your favorite thing about summer?

My favourite thing about summer...would have to be the long days. What I love more than anything, is being able to go for walks in the evening, and the long summer days are the perfect time to do that. It's not too cold or too dark, and I can catch the sunset while out for a stroll.

There are so many reasons that I love this season, including the pace of things, and the chance to be outside all of the time. I'm Canadian - I try to avoid being out too much in the winter because of how cold it is! So summer is my beautiful opportunity to soak in as many rays as I can. I love summer activities, and the Olympics, and summery foods and ice cream. I feel like it's a time where I truly come alive. I get motivated to read and write (and blog!) and take part in all of the wonderful hobbies I have that I can barely keep up with it all - and I love that. The long days help me feel like I can accomplish so many more of those things too.

So, although I would say that the long days are my favourite part, it's really so much more than that.

What's your favourite thing about summer?

TMST: TBR Pile

 Tell Me Something Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by the lovely Rainy Day Ramblings, and currently assisted by a team of bloggers, Roberta @ Offbeat YA, Karen @ For What It's Worth, Berls @ Because Reading Is Better Than Real Life, Jen @ That's What I'm Talking About, and Linda @ Book Girl of Mur-y-Castell.

Have you found a way to cut back significantly on your TBR pile?

I have! Although I really, desperately need to go through my Goodreads list, I have mentally cut back on so many books that used to be part of my TBR pile. For me, I stopped adding books in that other people wanted me to read. Recommendations are one thing, but so many people constantly tell me I "have to read this" so I eventually would cave to the pressure of it and, since it sounded interesting, would add it in. Now I just add in what I legitimately want to read. Sure, some of them are because of recommendations from other people whose tastes I trust, but a lot are ones I discover on my own.

Working a library is both a gift and a curse for a TBR pile because I get to see everything. At the same time though, it means that people always ask you if you've read this or that and it can be a lot of pressure to feel like you need to cater to that. Although I do still feel that sense of pressure sometimes, I've been able to squash a lot of it.