Aria Giovanni Loves Strawberries!

Aria Giovanni...sigh...the most beautiful woman in the world...

Lamb of the month: Nausicaa Valley of the Wind

Conceived by animator Hayao Miyazaki in 1982, Nausicaa Valley of the Wind was first released as a manga and would go on to become one of the best selling Japanese comics of all time...so it's no surprise then that it went on to become a movie. Ironically it was created in manga form because the then little known Miyazaki, couldn't get the funding to make the film...go figure...


Valley of the Wind's story thrusts us into a post-apocalyptic future where humanity has destroyed most of the Earth's eco-system. Humans survive but live scattered across a dying land that is half feudal Japan and half wild kingdom. Deep within this decaying land we meet Nausicaa, a princess with a special gift for communicating with the giant insects that live in the areas surrounding her home in the Valley of the Wind. In design the young Nausicaa seems small and timid but like most Miyazaki heroines she is smart, strong and sympathetic to the plight of the creatures around her.

One day, a large airship crashes into the cliffs near her home, she tries to rescue a young woman from the burning wreckage and instead gets herself embroiled in a massive war between the kingdom Pejite and the more powerful state of Tolmekia. Lots of back and forth battles with large airships ensue until Nausicaa helps both sides realize the futility of their war.

Valley of the Wind is a stunningly beautiful animated film. The characters are well-developed and warm while the creatures are alien and intriguing. In spite of all this artistry the film suffers from major pacing problems and the movie drags. You want to care what happens to the people in the film but the less than riveting writing makes it difficult to pay attention. Perhaps it is too literal a translation of Miyazaki's book...leaving too much in from the manga that does not translate to the screen well.

Valley of the Wind is far from a train wreck, but it's not a movie I can say I really enjoyed either and would say Valley is for Miyazaki fans only. I sincerely hope if you haven't seen a Miyazaki film you start with the far superior Princess Mononoke or Spirited Away; Valley is a slow start to an amazing career.

Guess That Movie Quote: Week 54 Screen Capture Edition 2: Electric Boogaloo!

I have a few screen caps left over from last week so it's time for another theme week! So once again instead of the usual quotes, I will be posting a screen capture from the trailer of a movie to win you just need to correctly identify what movie the cap is from. Hopefully it won't be too super easy again...guess we'll see :)

The rules:
If you know or think you know the source of the movie quote please leave your guess in the comments section. As people guess the source of the quote I will grey it out and give them credit (using google to find the answers will disqualify you), the person who has the most correct guesses each week will get a fun movie genius award to decorate their blog. Any person who wins 5 weeks (consecutive or non-consecutive) will earn a Movie Master award and must then refrain from guessing for 5 weeks but a master can email quote suggestions for the game.

Now the guessing:

1. (Laura)



2. SamuraiFrog



3. st3



4. Jaquandor



5. Mob



6. (Laura)



7. Jaquandor



8. SamuraiFrog



9.



10. Mob



**Update**
Well it's a Skullcave first but we have a 4-way tie! Too Cool! Congrats to Mob, SamuraiFrog, Jaquandor and Laura who all had 2 correct guesses! Way to go y'all!!! You can collect your awards below:

For SamuraiFrog:


For Laura:


For Mob:


For Jaquandor:


And thanks to everyone else for playing! Join us again next Tuesday for more movie guessing fun! Oh and I will post the answers in the comments...

Lunchboxes!

I just adore metal lunchboxes but there have been some pretty interesting ones over the years...


















I had this one as a kid:


And now that I've seen this one I REALLY want it! Did I mention I collect metal lunchboxes?

I Heart Dita Von Teese

Dita Von Teese in red...

Guess That Movie Quote: Week 53 Screen Capture Edition!

Time for another theme week! This week instead of the usual quotes, I will be posting a screen capture from the trailer of a movie to win you just need to correctly identify what movie the cap is from. Hopefully it won't be too easy, I tried to pick images that wouldn't instantly give away the answer....but I guess we'll see :)

The rules:
If you know or think you know the source of the movie quote please leave your guess in the comments section. As people guess the source of the quote I will grey it out and give them credit (using google to find the answers will disqualify you), the person who has the most correct guesses each week will get a fun movie genius award to decorate their blog. Any person who wins 5 weeks (consecutive or non-consecutive) will earn a Movie Master award and must then refrain from guessing for 5 weeks but a master can email quote suggestions for the game.

And now the guessing!

1.SamuraiFrog



2.SamuraiFrog



3. SamuraiFrog



4.SamuraiFrog



5.SamuraiFrog



6.SamuraiFrog



7.SamuraiFrog



8.SamuraiFrog



9.SamuraiFrog



10. Johnny B



**UPDATE**
Okay so I guess this was a bit too easy...I'll try and make it a bit more challenging next time I do this. In any case we a have a winner and a runnaway winner at that! Congrats to SamuraiFrog who flexed his movie muscles yet again...way to go Frog collect you award bellow:


And thanks to everyone else for you hilarious comments! Oh and come on back next Tuesday for more movie guessing fun!