Suzy and I have caught a few flicks at the theaters and on video lately. MirrorMask was quite the visual spectacle ... Alice in Wonderland by way of Beetlejuice care of Neil Gaiman. Literally a teenage girls fantasy drawings come to life in a dream. Occasionally it slowed and stumbled, but made up for those short-comings with eye popping imagery.
Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind is an early high point in the career of Miyazaki (later of Princess Mononoke and Spirited Away). Lots of action, above average design and animation, a relatively meaningful plot, and best of all, a central character who is not passive in the least.
Primer is the ultimate, low budget science fiction thriller. It mixed some very real world cinema verite conversation with a plot something like Dilbert-meets-La Jetee. Because it embraces the pecular mechanics of time travel so thoroughly, it becomes effectively impossible to follow (the commentary reveals that certain strange events towards the end have no explanation because any explanation would rely on information that the protagonists simply don't have). Maybe not up to the level of indy flick hype it received, but not bad either.
And then, Wallace & Gromit in The Curse of the Were-Rabbit which restored my faith in animation. Quick paced, well told, delightful to watch, and simply full of delight. I hope I don't have to wait another five years for the next story.
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