The Ricochet Reviewer: Books, Movies, and Comics

Director: Hayao Miyazaki Writers: Hayao Miyazaki & Haruya Yamazaki, based on the manga by Monkey Punch, characters by Maurice Leblanc Stars: Yasuo Yamada, Eiko Masuyama, Kiyoshi Kobayashi, Makio Inoue, Goro Naya, Sumi Shimamoto, Taro Ishida, Kohei Miyauchi, Ichiro Nagai A master thief and his allies travel to a mythical European  kingdom to rescue a princess from an evil counterfeiter.   This celebrated anime was the feature film directorial debut of Hayao Miyazaki, who would go on to create timeless classics with the creation of Studio Ghibli.   It is much beloved among anime devotees, but I wonder how much of this regard is colored by appreciation of his later output.   It is quite entertaining but can’t hold a candle to such classics as My Neighbor Totoro, Kiki’s Delivery Service, Princess Mononoke, or Spirited Away.  It is a bit too long and filled with manic action, but the characters failed to engage me, and the animation, produced on a tight deadline,...

Director: Alfonso Cuaron Writers: Alfonso Cuaron & Jonas Cuaron Stars: Sandra Bullock, George Clooney, Ed Harris, Orto Ignatiussen, Phaldut Sharma, Amy Warren, Basher Savage Due to a catastrophe during a space walk, a first-time  astronaut (Sandra Bullock) must overcome a series of obstacles, both internal and external, in an unlikely struggle for survival.  I will always regret not seeing this film in IMAX 3D.  It may be the most spectacular depiction of space ever made to that point, but the spectacle is balanced by the interior lives of the characters, particularly Dr. Ryan Stone.   Bullock gives an extraordinary performance as a woman confronting both an existential void due to the accidental death of her daughter and the literal physical void of space.   She presents a character who seems weary and depressed, perhaps about to face another void in her personal life once this mission is complete and there is nothing left to distract her from the loss...

Director: Frank Darabont Writers: Frank Darabont, based on the novel by Stephen King Cast: Tom Hanks, Michael Clarke Duncan, David Morse, Jeffrey DeMunn, Barry Pepper, Doug Hutchinson, Bonnie Hunt, James Cromwell The story unfolds in a Death Row ward in the 30s,  where a giant black inmate who has been convicted of killing two little white girls (Michael Clarke Duncan) is delivered into the care of supervisor Paul Edgecomb (Tom Hanks) and his staff of decent, hard-working prison guards (David Morse, Jeffrey DeMunn, Barry Pepper).  It soon becomes clear that this inmate is not what he seems and that the Green Mile (so named for its green floor tiles) has become the unlikely setting for a time of miracles and wonder that will deeply affect everyone involved.  Many of the plot elements are predictable (for example, I could guess almost everything that would happen to the mouse, Mr. Jingles, as soon as he appeared on screen, and I knew how the whole sub-plot with the warden's...