Tag Archives: movie

Aug12

August Movie Night – All About Miyazaki

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August Movie Night – All About Miyazaki

August Movie Night is all about four great Miyazaki films. I decided on this theme because Miyazaki’s new film, Ponyo, will be released on August 14th, and I love the Miyazaki films (except for Kiki’s Delivery Service). I know the anime part might throw people off but trust me these films are like the Disney animation films of Japan (minus the musical parts).

So please join us once again at the Talmadge Bernasconi’s house for some Miyazaki and food (hopefully including Marna’s Candy Sushi).

Voting has now been moved to e-vite to prevent people from gaming the system *cough*Joe and Juli* cough* so please vote there. If you did not receive an e-vite and would like to come please send me an e-mail.

Below are the descriptions of the films:

Howl’s Moving Castle

In this engaging anime based on a children’s fantasy novel, 18-year-old Sophie works in her late father’s hat shop in a humdrum town. But things get interesting when she’s transformed into an elderly woman by the evil Witch of the Waste (voiced by Lauren Bacall). Determined to reverse the spell, Sophie seeks the help of the wizard Howl, who has an amazing moving castle that’s fueled by a fire demon named Calcifer. Hayao Miyazaki directs.

Spirited Away

Adapted from the Japanese original, director Hayao Miyazaki’s adventure tale won the Best Animated Feature Oscar for its story of 10-year-old Chihiro. During her family’s move to the suburbs, Chihiro wanders into a magical world where a witch rules — and those who disobey her are turned into animals. When her parents are turned into pigs, Chihiro must find a way to help them return to their human form.

Princess Mononoke

This anime epic from director Hayao Miyazaki made critic Roger Ebert’s list of 1999′s 10 best films. Infected with an incurable disease, Prince Ashitaka (voiced by Yoji Matsuda) travels to the Far East in search of a cure and finds himself caught in a battle between the forest’s animals and a mining town. Princess Mononoke (Yuriko Ashida), a human raised by wolves, leads the animals, but higher powers intent on killing may prevail.

My Neighbor Totoro

Legendary Japanese animator Hayao Miyazaki provides a stunningly realistic portrayal of life in the country. When their mother is hospitalized, two young sisters spend a summer in the Japanese countryside with their father. The strange new environment turns out to be a natural wonderland filled with exotic real-life creatures and a trio of furry woodland sprites who can only be seen by children.

There will be a future Miyazaki Movie Night that covers his films involving flight, so do not worry, you will have a chance to see them all (or at least two of them).

Jul27

The Forbidden Planet

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The Forbidden Planet

Even the young and dreamy Leslie Nielsen and the adorable Robby the Robot could not quite make The Forbidden Planet a crowd pleaser during the July Movie Night – Cheesy Moon. However I still think most people had fun enjoying the food (especially my moon shaped macaroni and cheese, or cheesy moons, brilliant I know) and the popsicles desserts.

I would also just like to thank the parental units for hosting their second movie night and also thank those who came and enjoyed themselves. Enjoy some pictures:

Jul15

July Movie Night – Cheesy Moon

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July Movie Night – Cheesy Moon

Fourty years ago this month (July 20th, 1969 to be exact), humans stepped foot on the moon for the first time. Much to their dismay they discovered that the moon was and is not made of cheese. However, some filmmakers never knew or took the cheeseless moon to heart and decided to make some cheesy space movies. So for July’s Movie Night, we present to you Cheesy Moon. So please join us at the Talmadge Bernasconi’s house for some space and cheese.

Voting has now been moved to e-vite to prevent people from gaming the system *cough*Joe and Juli* cough* so please vote there. If you did not recieve an e-vite and would like to come please send me an e-mail.

Below are the descriptions of the cheesy films:

Plan 9 from Outer Space

After the embarrassing failure of the first eight plans, a group of evil aliens enacts plan nine — resurrecting the dead to take over the Earth. Bela Lugosi makes his final film appearance — along with Vampira, Tor Johnson, Criswell and a chiropractor acquaintance of director Ed Wood– in one of the most popular cult classics of the 20th century, a two-time winner of the Golden Turkey Award for Worst Film and Worst Director of all time.

Robinson Crusoe on Mars

When his spaceship crash-lands on Mars, astronaut Kit Draper (Paul Mantee) must figure out how to survive on the barren, lifeless planet with only a monkey to keep him company in this 1964 sci-fi take on Daniel Defoe’s classic novel. As Draper searches for food, water and oxygen, he eventually discovers that the dead planet may actually harbor life — but it’s not clear whether the Martians are friends or foes.

Silent Running

In a ruined future, huge orbiting spaceships preserve the last remaining trees from pollution and overcrowding on Earth. Botanist Freeman Lowell (Bruce Dern) receives an order to destroy the trees. He refuses, setting himself against his superiors and fellow crew members. Directed by special-effects titan Douglas Trumbull, Silent Running’s innovative effects and powerful themes ensured its cult status.

Forbidden Planet

A pulp-fiction sci-fi classic, Forbidden Planet stars Leslie Nielsen as a heroic starship captain who finds the paradise planet Altair-IV, which is inhabited by Dr. Morbius (Walter Pidgeon) and his daughter, the sole survivors of an earlier expedition. Morbius uncovered the secrets of the long-lost civilization that made Altair-IV a paradise — the same secrets that unknowingly destroyed the society!

May26

June Movie Night – Oh Canada

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June Movie Night – Oh Canada

In honor of our travels our great white neighbor to the north, Canada, we have decided to showcase one of their finest films (okay, one of the choices was made in the US). So grab a Molson and mark June 15th on your calendars for June Movie Night – Oh Canada.

Below are the descriptions of the four movie choices and then the actual voting poll. Once again I must remind you that it is your duty if you plan on joining us to vote and if you vote and do not come a Mounty will come and scold you in French!

Trailer Park Boys – The Movie

Ricky (Robb Wells), Julian (John Paul Tremblay) and Bubbles (Mike Smith) hit the big screen in this hilarious feature-length adventure. Fresh out of jail, the boys plan their dumbest scheme yet: get rich by stealing tons of change. But the crime won’t be easy as the trio runs up against strippers, helicopters, gunfights and more. This wild ride hits all the highbrow stops: prison, girlie bars and, of course, the Sunnyvale Trailer Park.

Strange Brew

Hoping to snag some free beer by helping a brewery owner reclaim her business, goofy Canadian brothers Bob and Doug McKenzie (SCTV’s Rick Moranis and Dave Thomas) wind up battling criminal Brewmeister Smith (Max von Sydow), who plans to take over the world by releasing his hypnotic brew to the beer-guzzling population. Now, the fate of humankind lies in the hands of Canada’s biggest “hosers” in this classic comedy.

Strangers in Good Company

When a bus filled with eight elderly women breaks down in the wilderness, the group of strangers is stranded at a deserted farmhouse with only their wits, their memories and eventually some roasted frogs’ legs to sustain them. For several days, the women share their life stories and intimate thoughts. Director Cynthia Scott directs these nonprofessional actors delivering largely improvised dialogue to heartwarming effect.

Canadian Bacon

A U.S. president (Alan Alda) tries to bolster his sagging approval rating by picking a fight with the unlikeliest of foes: Canada. After slick propaganda campaigns convince the American populace that the Great White North is the enemy, zealous patriot Bud B. Boomer (John Candy) takes matters into his own hands. Director Michael Moore’s first foray into feature films — a satire of the short-lived Persian Gulf War — was also one of Candy’s last.

Now that you have read the descriptions, please vote below. Voting will close on Monday, June 10th, at 11:59 pm:

May22

May Movie Night – Great Car Chases Recap

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May Movie Night – Great Car Chases Recap

It always surprises me when a film has no soundtrack. Well, I take that back, Bullitt had a cheesy 60′s soundtrack, but they used music sparsely throughout the film.

We however talked through most of it and that is what we love about movie night. While my Father enjoyed telling us all the streets in the film (they filmed the movie in San Francisco, his hometown), the rest of us enjoyed making fun of the fashion (Mr. Rogers’ Sweaters) and the “high-tech” medical equipment.

We would like to thank my Father, Marna, Robert, Nick, and Jen for coming. We look forward to seeing everyone next month (if everything works out in between our trips). Enjoy the picture from last night:

We are all sexier then Steve McQueen!

We are all sexier then Steve McQueen!