Your Name is one of the most beautiful movies I have seen in quite some time.  The story is touching, the visuals are awe-inspiring, and the music is catchy as heck.  Upon a first viewing, I understand the main idea without being able to fully place all of the details.  Your Name is a film that takes multiple viewings to comprehend the complexity of the storyline.  Without going into too much detail, the timeline is hard to follow right off the bat, but I am sure that there are very few flaws (if any) in this film.  There is a lot going on all at once, but the main storyline leaves room for discussion after viewing.  Every good film should leave room for discussion after the story is resolved, and Your Name leaves plenty of ideas hanging around in our minds.

Makoto Shinkai's (5 Centimeters Per Second) direction brings us beautiful visuals to guide us along the story's journey.  Every line drawn is thoughtful and concise.  The precision of animation in this film is reminiscent of Miyazaki's (Spirited Away) works.  In fact, Shinkai might be the next Miyazaki.  As someone who knows almost nothing about animation, it is still clear to me that the team behind this film spent long hours in its creation.  While there are plenty of Pixar and Disney films with good animation, nothing that I have seen from American studios can compare to this form.

I would go completely amiss without discussing the soundtrack for this film as well.  RADWIMPS's indie rock soundtrack brings the viewer back to their childhood with a punk edge added in.  Often times, the beauty of the film is complimented by the soundtrack's sweetness.  Some of the lyrics do not translate well into the subtitles, but I'll be damned if the sounds are not a perfect match to the visuals.  I have been waiting a long time to view this film after it's release because I missed it in theaters.  While I waited, I had to check out the soundtrack that all of my friends have been raving about.  At the very least, listen to the soundtrack as it pulls you into a foreign world, full of jaw-dropping inspiration and beauty.  For starters check out the song, "Sparkle".

The Bottom Line:  Shinkai's animated masterpiece will be cherished for a long time because of it's beauty and complexity.

Score: 10/10 (This is my first 10/10 since Swiss Army Man)

GET READY!

Imagine sitting down to watch a film in a dark theater.  You might grab a popcorn, a drink, even a $5 box of candy.  The screen lights up as the film starts to roll.  You watch about 2 minutes of the film and then realize that it is one of the oddest things you have ever seen.  At this point, it might not be for you... but wait for it... here it comes... POP-POP-POP POP-POP-POP... this film has just become a masterpiece.  Confused?  Me too.  All I know is that I can watch this over and over and over and over and over and over and over again.  Maybe 100 times, maybe forever.

Swiss Army Man is one of the greatest films I have ever encountered.  I predict this to be my favorite film of 2016.  It is a tragedy, a comedy, a drama, a mystery, a thriller, and many more.  How do you revolve a story around a farting corpse?  The trailers may seem shallow, but there is depth to this.  Every moment of Daniel Radcliffe's presence disgusts us, but charms us at the same time.  Radcliffe and Dano create a romance unlike any other romance.  Oddity continues to bend around every corner as we travel across a deserted forest landscape and try to find home.  Much like the two actors, we feel lost throughout the movie.  We are centered with an original soundtrack performed by Radcliffe and Dano, written by Manchester Orchestra.  If not for the soundtrack, I would have fallen away from the plot into a pit of despair.  This soundtrack is perfection, beauty, absurdity, and entrancement.  

What we see onscreen is odd at times, but we feel at home.  With a world that confuses us, the Daniels show us a light at the end of the tunnel.  We leave feeling hopeful, happy, torn apart, and resurrected.  The plot ends and we strive for more of what we saw.  Montages of a moving corpse intrigue us and creep us out.  For a short 1 hour and 37 minutes, we get to forget everything we know as we soak in the art.  We may not understand what we see, but it is beyond our grasp.  The ending of the film gives us that exact image.  It is okay to be unfamiliar with certain things, but we must accept them for what they are.

The Bottom Line:  See this movie and refuse to listen to anyone that tells you otherwise.  They just don't understand.

Score: 10/10 (This might be the first 10/10 I have given in the blog.  Keep that in mind...)

Image credit: http://cdn3-www.comingsoon.net/assets/uploads/gallery/swiss-army-man/swast_89_m2-0v4-0.jpg