Drifting Cloud's Top 5 Christmas Films

Drifting Cloud’s Top 5 Christmas films
Christmas!! In the world of Drifting Cloud, Christmas time means Christmas films. It’s the time of year when the broadcasters show all the very best films, and they take up all my attention when I really should be working. (That and my parent’s new puppy who is too adorable for words.)

So since the timing has worked out right, I thought that my first favourites list should be my favourite Christmas films. The ones that fill me with that elusive holiday cheer.


5. Elf
(2003, Jon Favreau)


“The best way of spreading Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.”

A fairly recent film that has already gained ‘Christmas classic’ status. It’s about an elf called Buddy who discovers that he is really a human and journeys to New York to find his real family.

It sounds like it should be a really terrible film, but somehow it isn’t! It has lots of family entertainment and cheesy Christmas messages, yet it has a more adult side to it too.

As pointed out by The Nostalgia Critic, this is all thanks of the lead actor Will Farrel. He plays up the adult child character to a huge extent, and the result is hilarious. Probably the best part of the film is when he first arrives in New York and is totally clueless to how he should act. Think Borat, except funny. He sees the whole place as a big playground, like how a small child sees Disneyland.

But this innocence also has adult undertones. Like when he sees sexy lingerie for the first time in a store, and he’s aroused but doesn’t know why. Same thing happens when he lays eyes on his love interest, an elf helper for a mall Santa. Later he walks into the women’s changing room when she’s taking a shower, just because she has ‘the most beautiful singing voice in the whole wide world.’ Maybe it’s just me, but it’s simultaneously really sweet and super hot!

4. The Nightmare Before Christmas
(1993, Henry Selick)


“How horrible our Christmas will be!”
“No. How ‘Jolly’!”

Some say it’s a Christmas film. Some say it’s a Halloween film. I say it’s so good, it’s great at any time of year.

The film starts in the world of Halloween Town, and the stop motion animation techniques enhance the visuals and create a wonderfully dark and scary atmosphere. Traditional animation or CGI couldn’t possible make a landscape like this.

The story follows Jack Skellington, the much loved leader of Halloweentown who has grown bored and unfulfilled with scaring people, and wanders depressed into the woods (there’s a reason this film is popular among emos). Somehow he ends up wandering into ChristmasTown and is fascinated by all the bright shiny things he sees. Then he gets a genius idea - he and the other monsters are going to take over Christmas from ‘Sandy Claws.’ They fail miserable, of course, but their failure is hilarious and fascinating to watch. Monsters bursting out of Christmas toys, skeleton reindeer pulling the sleigh and the army shooting them down with missiles.

I love everything about this film. The visuals are amazing, the music is stirring and the message is something that really helps me - Even if you fail epically, as long as you do your best and have a good time then it doesn’t matter. Now that’s a Christmas message.

And of course, I love the ending too. ‘We’re simply meant to be.’ Awww…

3. The Snowman
(1982, Dianne Jackson & Jimmy T Murakami)


“Nobody down below believes their eyes”

This is such a fricking classic! And there’s a reason, it’s just beautiful from start to finish. It may be short but every minute is used to it’s full potential.

The story is simply about a boy who builds a hugeass snowman that comes to life and flies him off to the North Pole for a Snowman Rave. The genius of it is that there is no speech, just the combination of animation and an orchestra soundtrack.

The animation is amazing, especially considering it was made in the early 80’s and the whole thing is almost entirely white. How do they make the outline of he snowman stand out against the landscape? And it is backed up by the lovely soundtrack which carries the story much better than dialogue ever could. Especially the famous ‘Walking in the air’ song.

Everyone loves this film. No one can seem to decide whether they like the flying scene or the snowman party better. I just love the whole thing, it’s a work of art and a fairy tale. Right down to the tragic ending.

The VHS copy we had when I was young also had a very similar film about The Happy Prince fairy tale. It makes me well up and cry just as much as The Snowman.


2. Tokyo Godfathers
(2003, Satoshi Kon & Shôgo Furuya)


“This is a Christmas present from God! She's our baby!”

A great example of a perfect script. I wish it would become popular among more than just Japanese anime fans. It was written and directed by Satoshi Kon, who sadly passed away earlier this year, who is mostly known for surreal films like Paprika. Personally I hated that giant mindfuck of a film, yet I still admit it was perfectly crafted and superbly animated.

This film is no exception. It portrays a dark and dirty side of the city of Tokyo, but it is all about miracles and portrays every emotion perfectly with it’s animation.

It’s the story of 3 homeless people, former failed gambler Gin, mad transvestite Hana and tomboy teenage runaway Miyuki, who on Christmas eve find an abandoned baby and go on a quest across all of Tokyo to find the mother.

Even though it’s subtitled, I’ve rarely found a film which makes me laugh so much every time yet also has me in tears. The tragic back stories of all 3 main characters are explored throughout the film. It feels like they’re not only trying to find the baby’s mother but their own homes too.

It’s the type of film that shows you something different each time you watch. Like the number 1225 constantly showing up, the imagery of angels and wings and the minor characters who reappear again in surprising ways.

I recommend everyone to give this film a try. I watch it once a year at Christmas time as the perfect treat.

1. Love Actually
(2003, Richard Curtis)


“Let’s go get the shit kicked out of us by love.”

It was really hard to choose between these two films as my favourite, but I chose this one because it can have you crying in just the first 20 seconds. Because that very first bit, footage of people hugging at the arrivals gate of Heathrow Airport with a voice over by the Prime Minister, completely sums up what this film is - It’s just an exploration about love.

There is no central plot but lots and lots of loosely connected plots about a different type of love - romantic love, platonic love, first love even tragic love. And the Christmas setting makes it work, because it is the season of love, way more than Valentines day.

Just like Tokyo Godfathers, it is both funny, sad and heart-warming. It’s also one of the films I show to my boyfriend from Finland as an example of what the British are really like. That when we discover our husband is cheating on us, we don’t make a big fuss. We go upstairs and have a bit of a cry then go back downstairs and act like everything’s fine.

Again, the script is perfect. I find it’s not the big overblown moments but the small ones that make me burst into tears, even when I know they’re going to end happily.

In a way, this is a film about miracles too. It doesn’t have angels or divine intervention or anything, but the characters take action and create their own miracles. And that’s what makes it my number one Christmas film.


Merry Christmas to you all! Have a good one!

Merlin season 3 review and musings

WARNING: This review contains major spoilers. And vast amounts of epic.
In my first review I revealed that I was a Clamp-holic. Well now I will also admit that I am a Merliknight, and proud of it.


The BBC’s Merlin is just so wonderfully addictive. I love everything about it. I love the adorably cute actors. I love the fantasy epicness. I even love the overwhelming cheesiness. If it wasn’t for this show, then my only fandom obsessions would be for depressing soap operas and romance films, or for crummy sci-fi shows.

I was lucky enough to watch the first double length episode of season 3, The Tears of Uther Pendragon, at the BFI screening at the beginning of September (big shout out to my sister for bagging me a seat). As if the start of the new series wasn’t exciting enough, I was watching on a big cinema screen amidst hordes of fellow fan girls. It made the whole experience so much better. I laughed and squeed and cheered to my heart’s content.

And I got to wear a cape!

The first episode of season two was kind of ‘meh’ but in comparison, this was a much much better way to open a series. Morgana had turned into a femme fetal. Merlin’s dragon lord powers came back. Uther was completely freaking out. And best of all, dragon riding!! I left the BFI theatre overwhelmed with awesomeness and the next day I went on holiday to visit Pierrefonds, which made me all the more excited for the third season.

Me at Pierrefonds, having the time of my life.

Then came Goblin’s Gold. Oh I have never seen a show take such a fast downhill turn. The premise of this episode was actually pretty good - Merlin accidentally releases a goblin which possesses Gaius, and he has to find a way to capture it without hurting his beloved mentor.

For some bizarre reason, the writers and producers thought that this episode should ignore the rest of the viewers and appeal only to 4 year old boys, by filling it with endless fart jokes. I really wish I was joking. The tavern thing I’ll give them, because it was actually sort of funny. But come on, most of us grow tired of fart jokes when we’re about 9 years old. Why are you trying to alienate the majority of your viewers? Why are you trying to stop people from watching your show? How is Arthur loving Gwen even if she has severe flatulence supposed to be romantic? For sanity’s sake, let’s pretend that episode never happened…

For those of us that found the will to keep watching, episode 4 thankfully picked up again and introduced us to new recurring character Gwaine. He’s a loveable rogue who constantly gets into bar fights yet has the heart of a knight. Oh and he has his shirt off for a good portion of the episode. Why did it take so long to introduce such an awesome character? I really want to see more of him, maybe even have him become a main character.

Episode 5, The Crystal Cave, opened with Arthur and Merlin being chased by random bandits, and the very first thought I had was ‘their affiair was discovered! They’re running away from the torch wielding villagers!‘

But it wasn’t until later in this episode that one of my favourite scenes of this season came. Uther is so desperate for Morgana to live that he gives Gaius permission to use magic. But the reason he does something so hypocritical is even more shocking - “Morgana is my daughter.”

Woah, Merlin the soap opera! I half expected to hear the Eastenders theme music after this line! Apparently Uther had a brief affair with his best friend’s wife while his own wife was away. I find it a bit weird that Uther was so distraught when Igraine died that he killed all the sorcerers, yet he cheated on her while she was alive. Couldn’t the writers have said that Morgana ‘happened’ after Igraine had died? Ah well, don’t argue with the plot devices.

The Eye of the Pheonix instantly became another of my all time favourite Merlin episodes. It was almost not like Merlin but something completely different. The perilous lands were shot differently to give an other worldy feel. The quest story was different than all the ones before. And the climactic scene with The Fisher King was brilliant in every way. Plus I was pleasantly surprised when Gwaine showed up again to join the team. It made me hopeful that he would have a more permanent role in the story.

The following episode gave me something I had been craving for a long time - Gaius’ back story!! And I was worried that the only ‘Gaius episode’ this season would be the gag one! For a while I had been wandering what it would be like if Gaius had a doomed romance in the past that came back to haunt him, and it actually happened! (Wait, I hope the writers aren’t stealing ideas from my brain…) An added bonus was Merlin getting all jealous that Daddy didn’t love him anymore. It was so cute! The final scene between Gaius and Alice was so moving that I cried. My only issue is that they never fully explained the manticore thing. Alice apparently thought that it would make her more powerful, but why would she go along with it when it tried to pin the blame on her one true love?

The series started with an epic two parter and ended with one too. The opening shot showed Sir Leon lying dead, and I was devastated! How could they have even thought of killing Sir Leon?! But it was ok, because he was healed by The Cup of Life, returning from way back in season one. It took me this long to realise that The Cup of Life is supposed to be The Holy Grail!!

There were several things I felt were missing from the final episode. I wanted to see more of Camelot under Queen Morgana’s reign. I wanted to see more of new character Percival. I wanted to see more of Uther after he’s fallen as low as he possibly can.

But most of all, I’m pissed that we didn’t get to see Merlin and Freya reunited! I had been looking forward to that for the whole season, but it never happened! Freya’s hand holding Excaliber appeared out the lake, but that was it! I wanted a big, romantic mythical scene of Freya, now The Lady of the Lake, handing over the sword, professing her love for Merlin and maybe even a kiss! But no! Nothing!! Come on, Freya is essentially Merlin’s true love! We got plenty of action between Arthur and Gwen, can’t any other characters have some romance?

But then again, the writers had a hell of a lot of stuff to cram into just 50 minuets. They did the right thing with having the main focus on the formation of The Round Table (or as I like to call them, The Raid Group). They managed to have every character contributing something to the heroic battle. Even Gaius using magic! Awesome!

But best of all - Sir Leon crossdressing and stripping! Who cares if it was unessential? I might almost forgive them for cutting Freya’s big scene. Oh wait, no I won’t….

The writers did a good job of taking the epic levels up even higher this season. Even some of the silly filler episodes were of a higher standard than usual. All except for the one we will pretend never happened…

The levels of character development throughout this season are also very impressive. There are so many sci-fi and fantasy shows that forget about character development (I’m looking at you, Star Trek), but in Merlin it is the very heart of the series.

Even Gaius got some character development. In season one, he would comically smack Merlin round the head just for moving a book with magic. But now, he steps in to save Merlin with magic without a second thought. Complete with glowy gold eyes! Way to go Gaius, we love you!

But of course the biggest change is evil Morgana. Before she was all ‘help the poor little children!’ but now, she orders her guards to fire upon the civilians! Woah, you do not want to piss her off!

Oh happy dagger...

She has always been my favourite character, and that hasn’t changed. Even if she is evil, she is still just as cool, beautiful and elegant as she always was, but now she has magic too! Katie McGrath remains my idol in how to be utterly glamorous all the time.

Gwen was perhaps a bit underused in some episodes, but I now fully support the romance between her and Arthur. In the last series, I thought the kiss scenes between them were nice, but sort of came out of nowhere. Now that their relationship has developed a little more, I can really see how they are great together and I think they’re really cute! Poor old Lancelot though, maybe he should get together with his mate Percival…

As well as the filler, there were still some things which I’m unhappy with. The downfall of Uther could have used a little more screen time because it was very interesting and dramatic. We never got to feel any real sympathy for Uther or see things from his point of view. Anthony Head certainly has the talent to pull it off.

The Great Dragon also only appeared in a handful of episodes. I know it’s more difficult now that he’s been released from the cave, but come on writers! You have John Hurt as a giant talking dragon and you don’t even use him?! I wanted to know what he’s been up to now that he’s free, other than being Merlin’s bitch. Is he cruising the dragon bars trying to find a mate? Has he found a nice cave somewhere to settle down and work on his pottery? What?!

On top of that, where was Mordred? Was the actor Asa Butterfield not available or busy with school? I hope that’s the reason, because I love that creepy yet adorably cute kid!

More Arthur and Merlin scenes would always be nice. But I would say that, being a slasher. I know Arthur was busy with Gwen, and Merlin was busy taking down evil Morgana, but what ever happened to bros before hoes?

Perhaps the best thing about this season was the build up to the Round Table scene. The show started with a fantastical kingdom with an arrogant prince. Now the kingdom is being rebuilt from the ground up, and everyone has to stand together to make that happen. And that means lots of yummy male actors all on screen together!!

Looking back at the beginning, it’s clear how far Arthur’s character has developed. Someone complained that he’s been blatantly throwing things at Merlin’s head to hurt him. But rather than just being mean, I think they’re actually comfortable enough around each other now that they can do things like that and know they don’t really mean it. Just look at the yaoi-riffic scene at the end of episode 4 where Arthur chases Merlin. No way he would’ve done that before, he would’ve just sent him straight to the stocks.

When I watched the scene of the two of them sitting on the steps, it reminded me of when I did the same a few months before. Just sitting calmly staring out at the courtyard and the beautiful castle, a massive contrast to the big fight scene we had just seen. Hanging out like best friends do and giving each other a playful shove shows that their friendship runs deep and strong. Brilliant, brilliant scene. However much they try to hide it, they aren’t a prince and a servant anymore. They are Merlin and Arthur. Oh it fills me with big squishy happiness!!

Horray! Now they can raid Icecrown Citidal!!

I have heard that season 4 will only have 10 episodes due to budget cuts, which sucks. I just hope they will be 10 really good episodes, none of this trolls and goblins rubbish. The set up for season 4 - the new knights, the unity of the round table and Excalibur being placed in the stone, was just too good. I don’t know how I’ll be able to wait so long for the next season.

My verdict - 8/10 (would have been 9 if not for Goblin’s Gold).

I shall end this review with the words of Monty Python:

When your life seems to drift
When we all need a lift
Tell yourself you won’t fail
Find your grail
Find your grail

Anime review - Romeo X Juliet

What happens if you take the classic story of Romeo and Juliet, extend it to a 24 episode anime and set it in a high fantasy location, complete with dragon horses, magic trees and a floating city? You get total awesomeness!!


I first became aware of this series when I saw the Japanese trailer. Amazing visuals complete with Tchaikovsky’s Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture made me excited, but also frustrated that it would be years before I could watch the English release. When it finally became available, I snapped it up instantly, which is rare for me since I usually like to watch anime on Youtube first before spending my money on it (shh, don’t tell anyone!). I found that it didn’t contain any Tchaikovsky music and for some odd reason the animation in the trailer isn’t used in the show itself. Still, I was far from disappointed.

Just a few minuets into the first episode, it’s clear that this is a very different take on Shakespeare’s play. The anime opens in the city of Neo Verona, which despite it’s beauty is run by a cruel, corrupt government. Just when you’re thinking this is a little bit Shakespearian, along comes a figure known as the Red Whirlwind, a masked vigilante who fights the big bad government to liberate the people of Neo Verona. After an epic chase/fight scene, the Red Whirlwind almost plummets to his death, but is saved by Romeo, the son of Prince Montague, on the back of his Dragonsteed (the above mentioned dragon horses).

I want one!!

The Red Whirlwind, who is actually named Odin, and friends head back to their home hidden underneath a theatre. They briefly talk to another friend, a frustrated playwright named William. I don’t think I need to mention who he’s based off of.

In the privacy of his room, Odin takes off his wig revealing that he is actually…Juliet!! Now you weren’t expecting that, were you? And that’s just the first of the many unexpected twists and turns that this story takes.

Characters
I said above that this was ‘the classic story of Romeo and Juliet’ but as you might have gathered from the synopsis, this version relates to the play in name only.

Despite Romeo’s name being first in the title, it is actually Juliet who takes centre stage. She is an ass kicking vigilante fighter with a hint of mischievous charm and no real parameters between her masculine and feminine sides. Right from the first episode she goes through a lot of character development as she discovers her responsibilities as the heir to the Capulet throne, yet she always retains at least some of her sweet innocence. I love her character both as a feminist and as soppy romantic. Like Ouran’s Haruhi, I admire how she is almost genderless and doesn’t define herself based on any male or female roles or characteristics.

But even cool action girls deserve a good man in their lives. Romeo has more or less switched roles with Juliet. He goes through a lot of good character development too, but not to such a great extent. He appears a little bland at first, the noble pretty boy who flies around on his dragonsteed and has nothing better to do than rescue falling cross dressers. I’ll put this down to his upbringing as a noble where all he has to do is attend fancy tea parties and do what Daddy says. Watching him develop into a hardworking warrior who would do anything to defend his love and protect his people is wonderful. And like Juliet, he has an adorable charm which makes the two of them so utterly cute together. You’re rooting for them until the very end.

Caaan you feeeel the loooove toniiiight!!

Most of the main characters from the play are there too, but they have also been severely changed. Lord Montague is a vicious, tyrannical king. Mercutio is a slimy evil suck up. Paris is a young girl named Hermione who is engaged to Romeo. And Tybalt…I won’t spoil it but he is certainly very interesting. The only character who remains sort of the same is Benvolio, Romeo’s BFF. His character has actually been more developed and given more attention, which I think is great.

The rest of the cast are either counterparts from the original, such as Juliet’s big sisterly maid Cordelia, or completely new to this story, such as Francisco and Curio who are clearly only there for slash fan girls (I’m not complaining…). And every single character, even the minor ones, are named after a Shakespeare character. Each one of them is just as well written as the heroes, and add their own special flavour to the story.

Story
Again, only the spine of the story is the same as the play. This version takes the star crossed lovers to a Metropolis like world where the nobles live it up at the expense of the commoners. The Montague clan has slain their old rivals the Capulets, and their last descendant Juliet must reclaim her title and give the people of Neo Verona their freedom. Not an easy job for a 16 year old girl! This Les Miserables slant gives the story yet another interesting dynamic, as Juliet discovers that not only is Romeo from a rival family, but that she has to kill his father, the same man who slaughtered her whole family. Starting to feel a bit like a soap opera, right?

Although it may not be a faithful adaptation of the play, the essence of the anime feels very Shakespearian to me. There’s mistaken identities, jealousy, revenge and many many swordfights. Even Hamlet’s play within a play is there!

In terms of romance, the anime fixes the problems that the original had. Instead of deciding to get married immediately after their first meeting, the anime gives Romeo and Juliet more time together and allows their relationship to develop at the normal rate. The scenes lifted from the play are still incredibly beautiful and romantic and serve as some of the key moments of the whole show. The action and romance sides of the series are blended together perfectly and really do each other justice.

Visuals
The top quality storytelling is heightened further by the beautiful imagery of Neo Verona. Clearly it has been based off real life architecture and is used to full effect. Everything from the Palace of the nobles to the graveyard covered in irises where the Capulets are buried are stunning and serve to make the anime a treat for the eyes. Look at the art gallery on the DVD extras and you’ll see the level of detail and attention the animators have put into the scenery.

On top of the backgrounds, almost everything - swords, armour even fancy goblets, has been finely detailed. It’s a great example as animation as an art form.

Some reviewers have said that the animation quality drops in the second half of the series, but I was probably too awestruck to notice. The only thing that got me about the animation was Romeo and Juliet’s occasional doe eyed looks that seem a bit weird. And the fact that their hair and eye colours match. But I suppose that’s for the red verses blue symbolism.

Music
As if the awesomeness levels weren’t high enough already, there is the soundtrack composed by Hitoshi Sakimoto, an acclaimed composer of video game music. Unusual for an anime, the opening theme is a soft yet dramatic rendition of ‘You raise me up’ performed by Lena Park.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHYB9u8vt2c
Even this song becomes wonderfully symbolic during the final episode’s climax. The first ending theme is a rock song that sounds like it came from Death Note, and seems pretty out of place to me. The second ending theme is much more fitting, if a little gentle compared to the action that proceeds it.

The background music is incredibly addictive. While writing, I’ve been listening to this song on endless repeat - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=odPxFbAImGQ Just a taste of the excitement that the soundtrack stirs in you as you listen to it.

In general
I know it’s not really the job of reviewers to just squee over stuff the like, but truthfully I cannot recommend this series enough. I wish I could find more to complain about but I have nothing. It’s a truly unique anime and a tribute to the works of both Shakespeare and fantasy writers. It’s almost like Shakespeare meets Tolkien meets Fritz Lang. Every part of this anime has been expertly crafted, and I praise everyone who was involved in it for their wonderful work.

I’m not a Shakespeare-holic. Admittedly, the only plays of his that I’ve read were the ones of the school syllabus. But I still enjoyed the numerous Shakespeare quotes and references littered throughout the series. The sudden switching between modern an ye olde englishe can seem strange at times, but it manages to work. Although I imagine this is a great series for hardcore Shakespeare fans, those who don’t know a thing about Shakespeare can still enjoy it just for what it is.

Romeo X Juliet is animation at it’s best. It’s perfect whether you love Shakespeare, fantasy, romance or just great storytelling. I think it more than earns the name of the world’s greatest writer.

My verdict - 10/10

And with that dear friends, we end our play…


You can download the opening song in both English and Japanese from here: http://animeyume.com/main_site.html