Grave of the Fireflies
I finally worked up the courage to watch Grave of the Fireflies, a Japanese animated movie from 1988. I've known about it for a few years, but have put off watching it because, although it's widely considered to be a masterpiece, many people say it's the saddest movie they've ever seen.
The movie takes place in Japan towards the end of World War II. It follows a 14-year-old boy and his 4-year-old sister as they struggle to survive after their mother is killed in a bombing. The first scene of the movie tells you the end: they don't survive.
Yes, it is a very sad movie, and also very good.
Roger Ebert listed it as one of the "Great Movies", and had this to say:
“Grave of the Fireflies” is an emotional experience so powerful that it forces a rethinking of animation. Since the earliest days, most animated films have been “cartoons” for children and families. Recent animated features such as “The Lion King,” “Princess Mononoke” and “The Iron Giant” have touched on more serious themes, and the “Toy Story” movies and classics like “Bambi” have had moments that moved some audience members to tears. But these films exist within safe confines; they inspire tears, but not grief. “Grave of the Fireflies” is a powerful dramatic film that happens to be animated, and I know what the critic Ernest Rister means when he compares it to “Schindler’s List” and says, “It is the most profoundly human animated film I’ve ever seen.”
My Neighbor Totoro
I was surprised to learn that Grave of the Fireflies was released as a double-feature with My Neighbor Totoro, another Japanese animated film. I watched that movie for the first time last year, and it's the complete opposite of Grave of the Fireflies. It's a lighthearted, fun movie about two young girls interacting with friendly wood spirits that live near their house in the country. There's almost no plot in the movie; it's just about the experiences the young girls have.
Although the theatrical double-feature was a flop (people were turned off by the seriousness of Fireflies), both movies became classics. My Neighbor Totoro also made Ebert's list of "Great Movies", and apparently Totoro is as popular in Japan as Winnie the Pooh is in Britain, or Mickey Mouse is in the U.S.
MovieLens
Finally, last year I discovered movielens.org, an excellent movie recommendation site. It's run by the University of Minnesota, and is basically their research laboratory for testing recommendation algorithms. It's free for anyone to use. Once you create an account, you start rating a bunch of movies, and it will then give you predictions of movies you might like. It even predicts what you'll rate a movie. There are lots of other cool features, too.
I've found its predictions are really good, almost always within half a star of my rating (it uses a 5 star rating system). In fact, I decided to watch My Neighbor Totoro based on movielens' prediction. It predicted I'd rate it 4.5 stars; I gave it 4. It predicted I'd rate Grave of the Fireflies 4.5 stars, and that's exactly what I gave it.