Paprika (2007)

The whimsical sci-fi adventure �Paprika� explodes with one of the most mesmerizing and spectacular opening sequences I�ve ever seen and continues on with high-paced intensity until the credits roll.

This latest film from the underrated Japanese anime director, Satoshi Kon, (�Tokyo Godfathers,� �Millennium Actress�) plunges into a lucid dream world where reality and fiction are nearly indistinguishable to both the viewer and the characters.

Chaos ensues when an experimental technology that allows psychologists to enter the dreaming subconscious of patients is stolen and abused to keep them in perpetual sleep. A team of researchers and therapists try to recover the stolen device and stop the meddling madman, but it�s up to the lead scientist, Dr. Chiba, and her bad-ass alias in the dream world, Paprika, to put an end to it.

Kon manages to capture the trippy essence of dreams in a medley of the bizarre, including �parades of kitchen appliances and frogs with trumpets, talking dolls, ridiculous music and sudden shifts in location, all achieving the hazy sensation of uncertainty that is so surprisingly akin to our reflection on our dreams upon waking.

Similarly, the dream paradox is often toyed with, causing character and audience alike to ask, �Have we awoken from the dream yet?�

Kon keeps the suspense as high as the confusion with enough creepy scenes and disturbing imagery to evoke some bizarre blend of �Spirited Away,� �The Matrix� and �Se7en.�

The undeniable allure of �Paprika� is the flurry of thematic elements introduced as society�s collective dream as it spills into reality. Kon subtly bombards the viewer with answerless, thought-provoking questions regarding heavy topics, such as the ethical limits of science, the relativity of truth, personal desire versus social responsibility, but, above all, the escapist parallel between dreams and technology in response to a repressive society, and the potential dangers of both.

The DVD offers lengthy footage of the director and author of the novel from which the movie is based, as well as interviews with the voice actors. However, the DVD�s main attraction is clearly the film, with the interviews serving as reflective afterthought.

Like a lucid dream, �Paprika� consumes with a vivacious madness beyond the restraints of reality, and far from a children�s cartoon, it is contrarily one of the most profound movies around, animated or not. It will leave you dazzled, dazed and wanting more.

5 stars out of 5

Once (2007)

Last year�s hit Irish film �Once� is a rare exception to the norms of criticism. This is largely because it defies so many basic conventions of film and storytelling to the extent that it is impossible to evaluate it objectively as a film; rather, it must be evaluated as an entity in itself.

Do not be mistaken by any inaccurate descriptions � �Once� is not truly a musical, but rather a movie about musicians, and it�s only a �movie� in a very unconventional sense. �Once� takes the age-old template of guy-meets-girl and then puts a musical twist on it, abandoning much more plot development.

An unnamed street musician (played by Irish rock band singer Glen Hansard) meets a similarly unnamed immigrant street hawker (Mark�ta Irgl�va) as he�s singing his heart out on the avenues of Dublin.

A strange friendship ensues as they help each other realize what they truly want out of life. Unlike traditional musicals that weave songs into dialogues, the songs in �Once� are performative in nature � whether its Glen singing on the street, on a bus, in a music shop or in a recording studio, it is no Irish �Moulin Rouge.�

With approximately two-thirds of the entire movie consisting of songs, it is reasonable to assume that emphasis was not placed on the script, or even the acting.

In the special features, director John Carney says he wanted �really great singers who can half-act [over] really great actors who can half-sing.� As he says, Hansard and Irgl�va are both wonderful during songs, but often act stiffly when the melodies end.

With much of the lyrics unintelligibly slurred and many others trite or empty, �Once� is less moving than it sets out to be. Toward the end, it starts to feel as if you�ve heard every song at least twice, and the similar melodies get daunting. Ultimately, if you don�t like the songs (which aren�t remarkably likeable), there isn�t much to the movie. A small amount of salvation is found in the commentaries for each song in the special features of the DVD, which give interesting insight to each.

�Once� is not a movie concerned with artistic cinematography, a good script, compelling actors or even an engaging, complex storyline.

Placing all of its chips on the musical aspect, �Once� encroaches upon what feels like a prolonged music video, but it also presents us with a new approach to film � one that sees a very fluid and mutually influential relationship between film and music.

While �Once� succeeds in a subtle, amateurish, and even charming way, it still feels like a rough, albeit enjoyable, prototype.

3 stars out of 5