PAPRIKA
The other night I was looking for a certain kind of celluloid getaway--a movie, on the short side, that would take me out of the city (or at least my apartment) for a spell.
I went with the Satoshi Kon anime Paprika, which is still showing on 42nd Street. The story has to do with a very thin...um, let's say dotted...line between dreams and technology--a theme that, in my experience, goes back at least as far as Ben Bova's late Sixties novel The Dueling Machine [and, come to think of it, other sources such as The Prisoner] and, as you probably don't know, my late Seventies short story "Reality in a COW," which was published in Dimensions.
It's like a slightly edgier Miyazaki film--and it's even got a kooky R rating to prove it! If Howl's Moving Castle and Spirited Away don't do it for you, try something else. But if you're into that kind of thing, considering treating yourself with a dash of Paprika.
Blink and you might miss an allusion to the artwork of Gustave Moreau.
Source (1:23)
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
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2 comments:
Paprika? Those Japanese need to work on their titles ... and sub-titles. Nausica, Paprika, not very appealing. Great trailer though. What do you think a Miyazaki-loving 8 year old would think of the film?
So far I haven't seen anything that comes close to Nausicaa for lost-in-translation rottenness--unless you happen to be a Sartrorialist.
I think a ML8YO would at least like the film...but I don't think there's a need to rush the viewing.
SPOILER ALERT
There's some nudity in the film, but I think there's basically one scene--aside from the usual nightmare imagery of this type of film--that's of "concern." It's a kind of surreal molestation of a female character. I think if I had to give the film a rating I would probably give it a PG-13 instead of an R, if that's any help. I'd be interested in your opinion if you end up seeing it....
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