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Spirited Away
Ten-year-old Chihiro Ogino becomes separated from her family in an abandoned amusement park that turns out to be a portal to the spirit world. This celebrated masterwork from Studio Ghibli’s Hayao Miyazaki was a huge hit worldwide. It marked a pivotal point both in the growing popularity of Japanese anime and the wider acceptance of…
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Pan’s Labyrinth
Del Toro, no stranger to science fiction or tales of the Spanish struggle between Fascism and left wing politics (Blade 2, Hellboy, The Devils Backbone) offers us something different here, skilfully blending history with fantasy. In Second World War fascist Spain Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) is faced with a stark choice. On the one hand she…
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Watchmen
A dark and dystopian deconstruction of the superhero genre, the film is set in an alternate history in the year 1985 at the height of the Cold War, as a group of mostly retired American superheroes investigates the murder of one of their own before uncovering an elaborate and deadly conspiracy, while their moral limitations…
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Blancanieves
Based on the 1812 fairy tale Snow White by the Brothers Grimm, the story is set in a romantic vision of 1920s Andalusia. However, the film approaches storytelling through the integration of Spanish culture from characters’ names to traditions they follow. Additionally, it alludes to other fairy tales including Cinderella and Little Red Riding Hood.…
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The Taste of Tea
The Taste of Tea has been referred to as a psychedelic version of Ingmar Bergman’s Fanny and Alexander, but this is to undersell the humour and warmth of Katsuhito Ishii’s tale of three generations of the Haruno family. There is no oppressive religion and little angst beyond the growing pains of the children, Sachiko and…