Intent on investigating the truth behind Father Cristovão Ferreira’s abrupt end of correspondence, the devout Portuguese Catholic priests, Sebastião Rodrigues and Francisco Garupe, set off to Japan, in 1633. In great disbelief, as the rumours of Ferreira’s apostasy still echo in their minds, the zealous Jesuit missionaries try to locate their mentor, amid the bloodshed of the violent anti-Christian purges. Under those circumstances, the two men and the Japanese guide, Kichijiro, arrive in Japan, only to witness firsthand the unbearable burden of those who have a different belief in a land founded on tradition. Now–as the powerful Grand Inquisitor, Inoue, performs hideous tortures on the brave Japanese Christians–Father Rodrigues will soon have to put his faith to the ultimate test: renounce it in exchange for the prisoners’ lives. There, in the ends of the world, a subtle change has begun; however, why is God’s silence so deafening?
La Notte
Unable to come to terms with her friend Tommaso’s irrefutably grave condition, shocked Lidia exits the hospital’s room to burst into tears, leaving her prestigious novelist husband, Giovanni, with the patient. Later on, the couple attends an elegant cocktail party at an opulent villa in Milan to celebrate Giovanni’s book publication; however, as Lidia is still in a state of shock from her previous harrowing experience, she decides to wander off the city’s empty streets, heading to their old neighbourhood. As a result, over the course of a single day, the emotional detachment, the aloof indifference, and the frustrating inability to make contact will inevitably lead to the harsh and bitter truth: sometimes, love alone is not enough to avert a tragedy.
Stillwalking
Twelve years after their beloved eldest son, Junpei, drowned while saving a stranger’s life, Kyohei (Yoshio Harada) and Toshiko (Kirin Kiki) welcome their surviving children home for a family reunion. Younger son Ryota (Hiroshi Abe) still feels that his parents resent that he isn’t the one who died
Red desert
Against the grim backdrop of Ravenna’s barren industrial wastelands brimming with flame-belching factories and deleterious chemical fumes, Giuliana, a deeply dejected young mother on the brink of a total existential breakdown, seeks solace with one of her neglectful husband’s handsome associates, Corrado Zeller. Alienated after that horrible car accident and utterly disarmed by him, Giuliana embarks on a hasty, shallow affair hoping to overcome the insurmountable obstacles of her profound, yet quiet, mental anguish; however, her spiritual catharsis still seems so far away. In the end, is isolation Giuliana’s only refuge?
Inside Llewyn Davies
It’s the middle of winter, 1961. Greenwich Village based folk singer Llewyn Davis, formerly one half of Timlin and Davis who had a modicum of success especially within the local scene, is trying to eke out a solo career. The dissolution of Timlin and Davis was due to circumstances outside of Llewyn’s control, there no possibility of a reunion. Llewyn, who has no money, resorts to sleeping on a revolving set of friends’ couches, he not averse to asking any among his friends for a place to crash, especially fellow folk singers, professional and personal partners Jean and Jim. Despite needing his friends, he is also not averse to burning bridges to remain true to himself as a professional musician, and in his anger and frustration over his current predicament. His plight makes him blind and oblivious to the goings-on in anyone else’s life. His economic situation is made all the worse as his first solo album, Inside Llewyn Davis, is not selling, partly due to issues with his manager, Mel Novikoff. It’s a Catch-22 as his homeless situation makes him difficult to locate if a last minute gig arises which further hinders his ability to make money. And he of late seems to be accumulating more and more stuff, including a cat, he having nowhere to put any of it permanently unless he were to dispose of these items. He may only be able to endure getting figuratively pushed down in the pursuit of a career before something has to change in his life.
Blade runner 2049
Rick Deckard has vanished. The notorious Blade Runner has been missing since 2019 when he and Rachael escaped from the authorities, and in the process, also avoided the economic and social downfalls of the early 2020s. It’s now 2049. Replicants are now closer to humans than ever before, and Blade Runners are still used to “retire” the older models that went into hiding from the notorious “Blackout” of 2022. In Deckard’s place, “K” has taken the mantle of Los Angeles’ top Blade Runner. However, his world turns upside down when he discovers a box.
Once upon a time in Anatolia
Centred around the hunt for the body of a murder victim buried somewhere in rural Anatolia. Kenan has confessed to the crime, but claims not to remember the exact location of the corpse.
Stalker
Near a gray and unnamed city is the Zone, an alien place guarded by barbed wire and soldiers. Over his wife’s objections, a man rises in the early morning and leaves her with their disabled daughter to meet two men. He’s a Stalker, one of a handful who have the mental gifts (and who risk imprisonment) to lead people into the Zone to the Room, a place where one’s secret hopes come true. His clients are a burned out popular writer, cynical, and questioning his talent; and a quiet scientist more concerned about his knapsack than the journey. In the deserted Zone, the approach to the Room must be indirect. As they draw near, the rules seem to change and the stalker faces a crisis.
Farmer and ex-NASA pilot, Cooper (Matthew McConaughey), is contacted by the space research organisation to pilot an interstellar mission to look for new planets where life can survive. The movie takes us on a journey through a wormhole to a new galaxy, where Cooper and his team explore new planets, including one that is made entirely out of water. Even though the movie has been shot in real-life locations around the world, you won’t be faulted for believing that you’re actually in outer space with the characters. The stunning visuals do not take away from the emotional core of the story.
Her
Set in Los Angeles, slightly in the future, “her” follows Theodore Twombly, a complex, soulful man who makes his living writing touching, personal letters for other people. Heartbroken after the end of a long relationship, he becomes intrigued with a new, advanced operating system, which promises to be an intuitive entity in its own right, individual to each user. Upon initiating it, he is delighted to meet “Samantha,” a bright, female voice, who is insightful, sensitive and surprisingly funny. As her needs and desires grow, in tandem with his own, their friendship deepens into an eventual love for each other. From the unique perspective of Oscar-nominated filmmaker Spike Jonze comes an original love story that explores the evolving nature—and the risks—of intimacy in the modern world.
Life of Pi
After deciding to sell their zoo in India and move to Canada, Santosh and Gita Patel board a freighter with their sons and a few remaining animals. Tragedy strikes when a terrible storm sinks the ship, leaving the Patels’ teenage son, Pi (Suraj Sharma), as the only human survivor. However, Pi is not alone; a fearsome Bengal tiger has also found refuge aboard the lifeboat. As days turn into weeks and weeks drag into months, Pi and the tiger must learn to trust each other if both are to survive.
The Grand Budapest Hotel
THE GRAND BUDAPEST HOTEL recounts the adventures of Gustave H, a legendary concierge at a famous European hotel between the wars, and Zero Moustafa, the lobby boy who becomes his most trusted friend. The story involves the theft and recovery of a priceless Renaissance painting and the battle for an enormous family fortune — all against the back-drop of a suddenly and dramatically changing Continent.
1917
April 6, 1917. On a battlefield in Northern France, Lance Corporal Tom Blake with the British Army is asked to choose one of his battalion colleagues to join him on an assignment, he choosing his best friend, Lance Corporal Will Schofield. It isn’t until Blake chooses Schofield that they learn of the dangerous nature of the mission: to hand deliver a message to Colonel MacKenzie leading another nearby battalion, they having to cross no man’s land to what they have been told are now the abandoned German trenches to get to MacKenzie just past the nearby town of Écoust. The message, which must reach its destination by dawn tomorrow, is for MacKenzie to abort his troop’s attack then on the supposedly retreating Germans who are in reality lying in wait, the Germans having planned this deception for months. The lives of MacKenzie and his 1,600 men are at risk if the message does not make it through in time, one of those men being Blake’s brother, Lt. Joseph Blake. Blake and Schofield’s stories as it pertains to them as soldiers in the bigger picture of the war, as soldiers trying to stay alive, as friends, and as human beings who have their own motivations are told for as long as they are able to survive on this mission.
SkyFall
In 2012’s Skyfall, we see Bond and a female agent chase an assassin, Patrice, through Istanbul. Patrice has stolen a hard drive containing the identities of all MI6 agents, and agents of British allies. Bond chases him to a train. When they fight atop the train, the other agent takes a risky shot and hits Bond. Patrice escapes.
Back in London, everyone assumes Bond is dead. While Bond is out, MI6 is attacked with a gas explosion, and their computers are hacked. Bond returns to action and chases leads before the hard drive is decrypted. Bond finds Patrice is Shanghai and intervenes just after Patrice assassinates a man. Bond takes a casino chip from Patrice and goes to cash it in. He meets Severine there, who agrees to take Bond to his employer, on the condition that Bond kills him.
Severine takes Bond to an abandoned island. There he meets Severine’s employer, Silva. Silva is a former MI6 agent who has it in for M. Silva has the hard drive and successfully decrypted it, leading to the murder of several agents. Silva shoots Severine just as MI6 arrives to take Silva into custody.
With Silva in custody at MI6, Q tries to decrypt Silva’s laptop, only to allow a virus into the MI6 network. Silva escapes and heads off to kill M at a hearing before a committee of parliament. Bond pursues and manages to thwart the assassination attempt.
Bond decides they need to get out of town to get an advantage against Silva. They head to his family’s estate, Skyfall. With the help of Kincade, the old gamekeeper, they wait for Silva and ambush him. Bond destroys the house to defeat the attack. Silva catches up to M at the chapel on the property and begs M to kill he and her together when Bond shows up and puts a knife in his back. M, however, was shot in the attack and bleeds out in the chapel.
Back at headquarters, the agent who shot Bond on the train takes Bond’s advice to eschew field work and takes a seat at the desk outside M’s office, introducing herself as Eve Moneypenny.
The Revenant
Inspired by true events, THE REVENANT is an immersive and visceral cinematic experience capturing one man’s epic adventure of survival and the extraordinary power of the human spirit. In an expedition of the uncharted American wilderness, legendary explorer Hugh Glass (Leonardo DiCaprio) is brutally attacked by a bear and left for dead by members of his own hunting team. In a quest to survive, Glass endures unimaginable grief as well as the betrayal of his confidant John Fitzgerald (Tom Hardy). Guided by sheer will and the love of his family, Glass must navigate a vicious winter in a relentless pursuit to live and find redemption.
The Assassination of Jesse James
Jesse James is a notorious outlaw who, with his brother Frank, makes up the core of the James Gang. Other members of the gang vary depending on the job and who is available, but usually include an array of cousins and friends. As Frank and Jesse make plans to rob a train on September 7, 1881, they are joined by Charley Ford, a man who is sometimes included in the illegal activities. It’s here that they first meet Robert “Bob” Ford. Frank isn’t impressed with Bob but Jesse seems to like the young man. Bob is a huge fan of Jesse and knows everything about him from reading books and newspaper accounts of Jesse’s activities. Bob spends some time with Jesse but lives most of the time with his widowed sister, Martha Bolton. Meanwhile, Jesse’s reputation with the people is somewhat favorable but the government and law enforcement are berated for allowing the tyranny of Jesse James go on for so long. When the governor offers a large reward for the capture or death of Jesse, several members of the gang are interested in the possibility of collecting. Ed Miller confides in Bob Ford that he’s been talking to others about the possibility of capturing Jesse James.
Meanwhile, other members of the gang are going about their daily lives. Woodson Hite, known as Wood, is Jesse’s cousin. He and another gang member, Dick Liddil, go to visit Wood’s father and stepmother. Dick has an affair with Wood’s stepmother and the two men clash over it. Wood kills a servant who knows about the affair and when Dick and Wood meet up later at Martha’s house, a gunfight erupts. Bob steps in and kills Wood but Dick is injured. Those at the house know they can’t tell Jesse that they’ve killed his cousin and so they hide the body. Jesse suspects Dick and puts a reward on his head, both for Wood’s death and for the possibility that he’s planning to turn Jesse in for the reward money. Bob and his brother, Charley, meet with the governor and agree to turn in members of the gang, including Jesse and Dick Liddil. Dick is taken into custody immediately.
As Jesse plans another bank robbery, he’s joined by Bob and Bob’s brother, Charley. The two men are in Jesse’s house on a Monday morning when Jesse leaves his guns on the bed, moving some distance away. Bob sees his chance and shoots Jesse, who is unarmed and apparently unaware, killing him instantly. Bob and Charley turn themselves in, confident that the governor will pardon them, which he does.
Bob expects accolades and wealth as the result for being the man to kill Jesse James but the governor’s reward turns out to be only two hundred, fifty dollars each for Bob and Charley. They are pardoned for their past crimes but the brothers are broke and at odds. Charley eventually commits suicide but Bob goes on to start several successful businesses, including a gambling house in Creede, Colorado, following a silver strike there. It’s there that he meets up with a man named Soapy Smith who kills Bob in cold blood, apparently looking for the same glory Bob had sought when he set out to kill Jesse James.
The HatefulEight
Some time after the Civil War, a stagecoach hurtles through the wintry Wyoming landscape. Bounty hunter John Ruth and his fugitive captive Daisy Domergue race towards the town of Red Rock, where Ruth will bring Daisy to justice. Along the road, they encounter Major Marquis Warren (an infamous bounty hunter) and Chris Mannix (a man who claims to be Red Rock’s new sheriff). Lost in a blizzard, the bunch seeks refuge at Minnie’s Haberdashery. When they arrive they are greeted by unfamiliar faces: Bob, who claims to be taking care of the place while Minnie is gone; Oswaldo Mobray, the hangman of Red Rock; Joe Gage, a cow puncher; and confederate general Sanford Smithers. As the storm overtakes the mountainside, the eight travelers come to learn that they might not make it to Red Rock after all…
Moonlight
Three time periods – young adolescence, mid-teen and young adult – in the life of black-American Chiron is presented. When a child, Chiron lives with his single, crack addict mother Paula in a crime ridden neighborhood in Miami. Chiron is a shy, withdrawn child largely due to his small size and being neglected by his mother, who is more concerned about getting her fixes and satisfying her carnal needs than taking care of him. Because of these issues, Chiron is bullied, the slurs hurled at him which he doesn’t understand beyond knowing that they are meant to be hurtful. Besides his same aged Cuban-American friend Kevin, Chiron is given what little guidance he has in life from a neighborhood drug dealer named Juan, who can see that he is neglected, and Juan’s caring girlfriend Teresa, whose home acts as a sanctuary away from the bullies and away from Paula’s abuse. With this childhood as a foundation, Chiron may have a predetermined path in life, one that will only be magnified in terms of its problems when he reaches his difficult teen years when peer pressure affects what he and many of his peers do, unless he follows Juan’s advice of truly making his own decisions for himself.
La La Land
n Hollywood, Mia and Sebastian are struggling to make it in their respective respective careers, about which each has extreme passion. Mia is an actress who dropped out of college and moved from small-town Nevada five years ago to pursue her dream. She is enamored with old-tome Hollywood – the movies she grew up on – but hates the cattle-herding feeling of going on auditions and her belief that she needs to schmooze at social events to get ahead in the business. Sebastian is a jazz pianist, his style of jazz in the vein of traditionalists Charlie Parker and Thelonious Monk. He wants to do his part to preserve that tradition, especially as he knows that that style of music is dying. He has trouble emotionally playing music he doesn’t like just to get a paying gig. He dreams of opening his own jazz club, most specifically in what used to be a famous jazz club that has since been converted to a tapas-bar-cum-salsa-dance-club. Partly because of their individual struggles and partly because of the situations, their first few chance meetings are antagonistic. But they eventually become attracted to each other largely because of the passion for their dreams that they see in each other. But there are many obstacles to a happily-ever-after. They may be able to endure the struggling-artist life for so long before those struggles take their toll. The pursuit of their individual dreams may take all their energies with nothing left for their relationship. And any compromise each may make in getting ahead may change the person with whom each has fallen in love.
Mad Max: Fury Road
An apocalyptic story set in the furthest reaches of our planet, in a stark desert landscape where humanity is broken, and almost everyone is crazed fighting for the necessities of life. Within this world exist two rebels on the run who just might be able to restore order. There’s Max, a man of action and a man of few words, who seeks peace of mind following the loss of his wife and child in the aftermath of the chaos. And Furiosa, a woman of action and a woman who believes her path to survival may be achieved if she can make it across the desert back to her childhood homeland.
Blade Runner 2049
Officer K , a new blade runner for the Los Angeles Police Department, unearths a long-buried secret that has the potential to plunge what’s left of society into chaos. His discovery leads him on a quest to find Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford), a former blade runner who’s been missing for 30 years.
Nick Bannister, a private investigator of the mind, navigates the alluring world of the past when his life is changed by new client Mae. A simple case becomes an obsession after she disappears and he fights to learn the truth about her.
When “Reminiscence” opens, Nick Bannister (Hugh Jackman), an Investigator of the Mind, and his business partner, Watts (Thandiwe Newton), are bringing in a repeat customer to be submerged and deprogrammed in order to recapture memories of the things or specific times that brought him happiness in his life. As they offhandedly joke about his ability to pay for his services, Nick is accused of being a pushover who has a soft spot that is keeping the bills from being paid. While it seems the two have an excellent relationship of working together, Watts seems to be highly critical of Nick’s actions, yet very familiar with the way he works and the only one who understands what motivates him to achieve results.
When a new client named Mae (Rebecca Ferguson) from Louisiana shows up unexpectedly after hours, Nick is immediately taken aback by her beauty and mystery. While Watts strongly suggests that he not take her in, Nick ignores her plea and soon after, falls head over heels in love with her, and then she suddenly disappears. Against Watt’s wishes, Nick sets out to find Mae unable to believe that she just disappeared, and walked away from him for no reason at all. When Nick becomes totally obsessed with finding Mae that he starts losing his sense of self, things become heated between him and Watts because he starts dangerously submerging himself for extended periods in order to capture anything about her that he may have missed. Watts remains mum about the fact that there were some things revealed about Mae that she kept from Nick, not wanting him to know that she had a dark past that included a dangerous addiction.
The working relationship between Nick and Watts continues to deteriorate as his obsession to find Mae gets way out of hand and as Watts reminds him of his frailties, he becomes combative and reminds her that she has some demons of her own that need to be addressed. As Nick’s search for Mae goes deeper, he finds that he was not the only one who fell under Mae’s spell and he also learns that the entire relationship the two had was a setup in order for her to secure some of his investigative memorabilia. In the midst of Nick’s craziness, he decides that he and Watts can no longer work together, but in the end, he has to research his own memory capabilities after finally being able to solve the mystery surrounding Mae’s disappearance.
The fascinating technology used in the film by director Lisa Joy is a great asset as well as the chivalry Hugh Jackman demonstrated in his quest for finding the greatest love he thought he had ever known. Thandiwe Newton, who is well known for playing protagonist roles, didn’t disappoint as the sidekick who never had a loss for words or opinions. While Hugh Jackman doesn’t have to do much on the big screen in order to keep my attention, watching him fully dressed walking down the street and half-naked submerged in water for most of the film was a treat that really didn’t require a great plot. All in all, the characters were believable and the relationship dynamics kept my attention throughout.
Starring: Dev Patel, Alicia Vikander, Joel Edgerton, Sarita Choudhury.
By: Paul Carlson from escapeintofilm.com
The Green Knight’ is a rewarding, faithful retelling of ‘Sir Gawain and the Green Knight,’ a 14th century chivalric romance poem. Without going full medieval literary lesson here, the chivalric romances were basically adventure stories that extolled the heroic qualities held by a knight: heroism and honor. These stories defined the standard of ‘chivalry’ for centuries, illustrating the virtues of an honorable knight.
The absolute key to enjoying the film is realizing what ‘The Green Knight’ is and what it certainly is not. This is not an action-packed, sword-swinging adventure following Sir Gawain kicking ass alongside the Knights of the Round Table. The Knights of the Round Table are basically extras – knight-looking guys in armor without lines of dialogue. Rather, this is an atmospheric and moody story of a hero drawn by temptation as he attempts to fulfill an ominous obligation. The standard, plot driven medieval adventure flick is happy to just throw some reluctant hero into a crisis, and let him save the day. That formula is almost completely inverted with ‘The Green Knight,’ with a protagonist without any heroic anecdotes to tell, recklessly volunteering for an adventure that tests his spirit more than his body. Rather that pit the sword-swinging hero with some legendary weapon on an epic quest to save the world – this story touches upon the fundamentals of what makes any character a hero, the values of a hero and what compels anyone to want to attain heroic greatness.
The story finds a young, aspiring knight without any heroic stories or brave deeds to recount to his liege. Sir Gawain spends his nights with women and drink – he is a member of King Arthur’s court but untested and without formal knighthood. This basic unpinning absolutely defines the rest of the story: an aspiring, untried hero in search of an adventure worthy of a hero. Without spoiling the story as much as possible, Sir Gawain hastily makes an agreement with the strange and seemingly supernatural Green Knight – and to uphold his end of the agreement, Gawain must travel to a faraway chapel to return the Green Knight’s ax. It’s a super simple and relatively straightforward premise that leaves plenty of room for Gawain’s true conflict: that which tests his bravery, loyalty and honor.
Gawain’s journey is itself an honor-bound duty – one that presents a completely uncertain future him. He knows full well just returning the Green Knight’s weapon could result in is his death, yet he’s compelled to fulfill his obligation. The story, time and again, tests his bravery as a knight and his faithfulness as a man. The choice that makes ‘The Green Knight’ compelling is Gawain as an imperfect man in search of honor. If the 14th century poem sings the praises of Gawain as a man above reproach who effortlessly parries temptation at every turn, then this film is a more humane take on the Arthurian character.
Writer-director David Lowery (‘A Ghost Story’) has crafted a work that quite literally feels like a medieval bard’s song fully realized as a film. Gawain’s journey from Camelot toward the unknown is set in a world that has texture and depth. This is a dreamlike, entrancing tale of one man in search of heroism, while defending his own loyalty and valor along his long and winding path toward possible death. Lowery has taken some liberties with the original story – but the minor pivots bring Gawain’s internalized journey into greater focus. The atmospheric eerie tone and string-infused score injects ‘Green Knight’ with an encroaching darkness. This is a rich and visceral morality tale that values heroism above all, aspirational glory and the cost of greatness.
Final verdict: Every scene and moment is directly connected to Gawain’s chivalry – even when his actions are honorable, Lowery’s bold script makes clear that Gawain is a morally conflicted man in search of archetypal heroism worth of the legendary Round Table.
Martial-arts master Shang-Chi confronts the past he thought he left behind when he’s drawn into the web of the mysterious Ten Rings organization.
No Time to Die
Recruited to rescue a kidnapped scientist, globe-trotting spy James Bond finds himself hot on the trail of a mysterious villain, who’s armed with a dangerous new technology.
Venom: Let There Be Carnage
Tom Hardy returns to the big screen as the lethal protector Venom, one of MARVEL’s greatest and most complex characters. Directed by Andy Serkis, the film also stars Michelle Williams, Naomie Harris and Woody Harrelson, in the role of the villain Cletus Kasady/Carnage.
The French Dispatch
A love letter to journalists set in an outpost of an American newspaper in a fictional 20th-century French city that brings to life a collection of stories published in “The French Dispatch.”
Eternals
The Eternals, a race of immortal beings with superhuman powers who have secretly lived on Earth for thousands of years, reunite to battle the evil Deviants.
Dune
Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet’s exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence, only those who can conquer their own fear will survive.
Spiderman: No way home
Spider-Man: No Way Home is an upcoming American superhero film based on the Marvel Comics character Spider-Man, co-produced by Columbia Pictures and Marvel Studios, and distributed by Sony Pictures Releasing.
Matrix 4
The untitled fourth Matrix film is an upcoming American science fiction action film. It is the fourth installment in The Matrix film series. Keanu Reeves, Carrie-Anne Moss, Jada Pinkett Smith, Lambert Wilson, and Daniel Bernhardt reprise their roles from previous films in the series.
Top Gun: Maverick
Pete “Maverick” Mitchell keeps pushing the envelope after years of service as one of the Navy’s top aviators. He must soon confront the past while training a new squad of graduates for a dangerous mission that demands the ultimate sacrifice.
Halloween Kills
An injured Laurie Strode leads a vigilante mob to hunt down unstoppable killer Michael Myers and end his reign of terror once and for all.
In the 14th century, the harmony that humans, animals and gods have enjoyed begins to crumble. The protagonist, young Ashitaka – infected by an animal attack, seeks a cure from the deer-like god Shishigami. In his travels, he sees humans ravaging the earth, bringing down the wrath of wolf god Moro and his human companion Princess Mononoke. Hiskattempts to broker peace between her and the humans brings only conflict.
9. Your name
Two teenagers share a profound, magical connection upon discovering they are swapping bodies. Things manage to become even more complicated when the boy and girl decide to meet in person.
8. The Incredibles
Forced to adopt a civilian identity and stuck in a white-collar job, Mr Incredible itches to get back into action. When he is lured into a trap by the evil Syndrome, his family contrives to save him.
7. Wall-E
A machine responsible for cleaning a waste-covered Earth meets another robot and falls in love with her. Together, they set out on a journey that will alter the fate of mankind.
6. The lion king
As a cub, Simba is forced to leave the Pride Lands after his father Mufasa is murdered by his wicked uncle, Scar. Years later, he returns as a young lion to reclaim his throne.
5.Up
Carl, an old widower, goes off on an adventure in his flying house in search of Paradise Falls, his wife’s dream destination.
4. Grave of fireflies
A devastating meditation on the human cost of war, this animated tale follows Seita (Tsutomu Tatsumi), a teenager charged with the care of his younger sister, Setsuko (Ayano Shiraishi), after an American firebombing during World War II separates the two children from their parents. Their tale of survival is as heartbreaking as it is true to life. The siblings rely completely on each other and struggle against all odds to stay together and stay alive.
3. Toy story
Andy’s favourite toy, Woody, is worried that after Andy receives his birthday gift, a new toy called Buzz Lightyear, his importance may get reduced. He thus hatches a plan to eliminate Buzz.
2. Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse
After gaining superpowers from a spider bite, Miles Morales protects the city as Spider-Man. Soon, he meets alternate versions of himself and gets embroiled in an epic battle to save the multiverse.
1. SpiritedAway
In this animated feature by noted Japanese director Hayao Miyazaki, 10-year-old Chihiro (Rumi Hiiragi) and her parents (Takashi Naitô, Yasuko Sawaguchi) stumble upon a seemingly abandoned amusement park. After her mother and father are turned into giant pigs, Chihiro meets the mysterious Haku (Miyu Irino), who explains that the park is a resort for supernatural beings who need a break from their time spent in the earthly realm, and that she must work there to free herself and her parents.
Cinema Aesthetics 