Anyone a little tired of the enviormentalist themes……..
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kabookiejoe — 16 years ago(August 15, 2009 09:17 PM)
True, Black Rider, but every director you just mentioned (excluding Miyazaki obviously) has such themes present without making them the driving force behind their films, as does any truly great director. Miyazaki, while I still love his work, is basically a one-trick pony. He makes wonderfully illustrated movies that take place in a magical land and feature the environment either fighting back against humanity or present in some other capacity.
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jpb58 — 16 years ago(August 15, 2009 09:24 PM)
On the other hand there are far worse things to love and obsess over than the environment. Loving crime or evil or impurity of heart, mind, and body would be inappropriate themes for family movies. Children are exposed to SO MUCH GARBAGE today that Miyazaki's obsession with the environment is pale in comparison, and actually has some good things to say, no matter what philosophy or religion you espouse. The earth is our home and we should keep it clean. It's a matter of common sense. No one wants to live in a polluted world yet far too many areas of the world are environmental hazards that make many sick.
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SpikeDurden — 16 years ago(August 17, 2009 02:07 AM)
I can't believe you people are actually complaining about messages telling us we need to preserve this planet- the only home we have as a species.
All you say is that you're tired of hearing that message. Nobody gives a single argument about why it could possibly be wrong to preach that message (because you don't have an argument). Your argument is that it's annoying.
Environmentalists are trying to create awareness and change the attitudes that most people (like you) have of indifference. They're trying to make you realize that things can't keep going like they are or else in 2050 this world will be a giant, disgusting dumpster.
I'm not aiming it at you OP, I understand you're saying you want to see something new and not that the message is bad or stupid. In that case, however, I'll argue that in all of Miyazaki's films the environmental message is background to the main points the film is trying to make.
"Don't point that gun at him, he's an unpaid intern." -
Daannny — 16 years ago(March 09, 2010 02:36 PM)
Miyazaki is about the environment, period.
It's his trademark just like supernatural is the trademark of Shyamalan and western was the trademark of Leone. That's why he makes animation, that's what he is trying to express with his movies. -
UberNoodle — 16 years ago(August 17, 2009 09:37 AM)
Perhaps before all you people start burning Miyazaki at the stake, you might want to learn a thing or two about Japanese culture and animism. Perhaps then you might understand these 'environmentalist themes' you are all so trendily cynical about. What you are calling environmentalism is actually something much more than than just headline grabbing sentiment when it comes to Miyazaki. Of course, what do I expect from these boards where the average age and level of worldly understanding appears to approach nil at times.
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uruseiranma — 16 years ago(August 17, 2009 09:53 AM)
To those complaining, it could be worsethey could have Public Service announcements at the end pointing to the audience going, 'now it's up to you.'
I didn't really let that get in the way of the story. Like with the one river spirit in 'Spirited Away,' that didn't drag down my enjoyment of that film.
"HAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMM!!!!" -
kabookiejoe — 16 years ago(August 18, 2009 02:40 PM)
Spike-
You said it yourself perfectly- it's annoying. Call me crazy, but when movie after movie ties in a "be nice to the planet" message, it gets old. That doesn't mean the message is wrong and that we as a planet shouldn't continually focus on improving our surroundings, it simply means that way too many movies are tying in this theme and it's really old now. Don't we go to movies to escape for awhile, and not think about problems like this?
Kil-
As for you, good job. You've insulted people who don't know about one particular aspect of Japanese culture. Nobody was trying to crucify the man. You are no doubt quite informed on the subject you brought up, but I love Japanese cinema, and I can tell you for a fact that no director continually falls back on the same theme more than Miyazaki. Regardless if nature is his passion, which I've known it has been forever basically, he still overdoes it on that front. -
jpb58 — 16 years ago(August 18, 2009 03:52 PM)
People should expect that going in to one of his films and not get all uptight about it. If you're tired of it consider not going to the film. It's really that simple. But to tell Miyazaki he's overdoing it on environmental themes is similar to telling Hitchcock that we're tired of his suspenseful films. "Hey Hitch, try another theme!" lol! It wouldn't work and neither would it work for Miyazaki.
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UberNoodle — 16 years ago(August 22, 2009 06:17 AM)
Kabookiejoe - I can't see how any of us, or anyone for that matter, can tell an artist what he or she, is or isn't 'over-doing'. If you don't like the art, you have to accept that. That is the nature of art.
And ironically, after telling me off for 'judging people I don't know', you do the same to Miyazaki. Or, do you have his phone number? -
cutebruiser — 16 years ago(August 18, 2009 07:21 PM)
No, I am not sick of the environmental message. The planet is dying and we will die with it if we don't make a concerted global effort. Read the news once in a while: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/8205864.stm
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uruseiranma — 16 years ago(August 19, 2009 10:22 AM)
Heh, you could almost say Ponyo was in reckless abandon to her Father's duties.
He was tasked with keeping the ocean in balance, and he explains all these concerns to her, and she chooses to ignore all his warnings and whatnot for her own want to be with and love Sosuke. So maybe Ponyo was anti-environment?
"HAAAAAAAMMMMMMMMMM!!!!" -
SeisCinemaSeis — 15 years ago(August 16, 2010 06:10 PM)
I think to be tired of environmentalist themes is to be tired of nature.
By far the best post in this nonsensical and absurd thread on people moaning and bitching about something intrinsically GOOD for everyone.
It's sad to read so many complains. Shame on them. -
scarlettbees — 15 years ago(September 12, 2010 08:28 AM)
"By far the best post in this nonsensical and absurd thread on people moaning and bitching about something intrinsically GOOD for everyone.
It's sad to read so many complains. Shame on them."
Shame on YOU.
It's okay to not share your viewpoints on the environment and your love of nature. There are many arguments to be made on the arrogance of Man not only in how we treat nature but in how people believe we can have a disastrous effect on it.
I happen to believe the Earth cleans itself and that we're not important enough to destroy it. If we become too much of a threat, nature will select US for extinction, but the planet will be just fine. If it makes you feel good to use recycled toilet paper, go ahead. But you're no better than me, who puts aluminum cans in with the rest of the garbage.
I hate your stupid signature -
toddtw — 15 years ago(September 12, 2010 03:54 PM)
That's a pretty ignorant attitude. The earth is not sentient and doesn't "clean" itself. And yes, the earth will always be here in some form when we're gone, but how is that an excuse to make it an uninhabitable rock for the future of our species? I sure hope you aren't propagating.
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scarlettbees — 15 years ago(September 13, 2010 10:46 AM)
"That's a pretty ignorant attitude."
It's no more ignorant than your attitude that people are responsible for the warming of the climate or any other seeming imbalance of nature. You just can't accept the possibility that humans just aren't that significant.
"how is that an excuse to make it an uninhabitable rock for the future of our species?"
That's my point. We're NOT making it an uninhabitable rock. That's where your arrogance comes in.
"I sure hope you aren't propagating."
Not only am I procreating, I'm filling many landfills with lots and lots of disposable diapers without a second thought. Bwaaa-haa-haaaa!
Hippie douche.
The earth is not sentient and doesn't "clean" itself. And yes, the earth will always be here in some form when we're gone, but how is that an excuse to make it an uninhabitable rock for the future of our species? I sure hope you aren't propagating."
I hate your stupid signature -
toddtw — 15 years ago(September 13, 2010 12:58 PM)
Regardless of whether we're causing global warming or not, wouldn't it be logical to err on the side of caution? You seem to be so sure of everything, but the fact is no one is completely sure. I could be wrong. You could be wrong. Why take that chance? Why be a wasteful moron with no regard to anything else?
I'm sorry but if you seriously don't think humans have some significant effects on this planet you are a fool. While they may not affect our planet long-term, these things certainly have the ability to affect the survivability of our species short-term. -
WyldeSoul — 16 years ago(August 22, 2009 08:17 AM)
There is one really interesting thing about the Miyazaki environmental themes, vs the environmental themes shoved down our throat with thing such as WALLE
In all Miyazaki films, the environment is never helpless, and people are never fully bad.
With Ponyo, if you notice, one of the earliest "action" scenes of the movie involved a ship CLEANING the bay, and yet Fujimoto is blind to all the good that people are now doing, merely stuck on the bad that people have done. It's part of the flaw of his character, that he doesn't believe humanity is worth saving, but he's shown up by a little boy.
With Nausicaa, there is a very, very true fact that almost no environmental themed movie has EVER done.
Nature can adapt, and nature can save it'self. The planet was destroyed by poisons of war from humanity's past, but the poisonous air and more importantly the poisonous soil was being cleaned and purified by nature.
Place that in stark contrast to WALLE, where mere trash has completely devastated the planet of all life. And we're not even talking about poisons of war, fallout, or anything truly deadly. Nature isn't that helpless, and that's one of the major themes of environmentalism in Miyazaki's, and Ghibli as a whole's work.
Some of the more stark "people are bad" things are because before the 80's, Japan had absolutely NO intent of preserving the environment at all, and it's merely a fact of life there that there is still much trash to pick up still. Especially in the water where it's not easily visible.
I don't know about you, but I'll take Ghibli's environmental messages over Disney's any day.