Shawn (voice of David Henrie) befriends tiny Arrietty (voice of Bridgit Mendler) in “The Secret World of Arrietty.� rowing� only what they need to OPENINGS survive. But it’s also a reminder that the seemingly small package of a The Secret World of hand-drawn animated film remains Arrietty ---1/2 a warmly welcome alternative to the (Century 16, Century 20) Great often cold equivalent of computerthings come in small packages. generated imagery. That’s one of the lessons of “The “Arrietty� hails from Japan’s legSecret World of Arrietty,� the en- endary Studio Ghibli, adopted in tirely charming animated adventure the U.S. by Pixar’s chief creative based on Mary Norton’s kid-lit clas- officer, John Lasseter. Lasseter has sic “The Borrowers.� known for years that Studio Ghibli This is a tale of tiny people warily has a license to print magic, making living underfoot of us towering hu- it spiritually akin, though stylistiman “beans,� and stealthily “bor- cally different, to Pixar.
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Ghibli’s founder Hayao Miyazaki (Oscar winner “Spirited Away�) co-wrote with Keiko Niwa the “Arrietty� screenplay (which has been adapted with care by American screenwriter Karey Kirkpatrick), and supervised the production. Seven-time Oscar winner Gary Rydstrom directs the U.S. version, with dubbing skillfully performed by American actors. Our entry point into the “secret world� of Borrowers is Arrietty (Bridgit Mendler), a plucky, 5-inchtall teen living with her family under the floorboards of a house in the country. Her stoic father, Pod (Will Arnett), and fretful mother, Homily (Amy Poehler), proceed with care, lest they be picked off by the house cat or discovered by humans and forced to flee. But sickly human teen Shawn (David Henrie), newly arrived at the house to convalesce, doesn’t seem very threatening. He’s almost preternaturally attuned to the movements of the Borrowers, repeatedly spotting Arrietty, but all the lonely boy wants is to win the wary girl’s friendship. Unfortunately, housekeeper Hara (a delightful Carol Burnett) gets the Borrowers’ scent and begins a pitiless campaign of pest control. Director Hiromasa Yonebayashi takes the story at a leisurely pace in the gentle and genteel manner familiar to Ghibli fans. That relaxed pace allows the story to breathe — forget the franticness of most American animation. Along with the gorgeously detailed art, lush color and swoony music (by Cecile Corbel), the film is all but guaranteed to entrance children. (Those at a preview screening weren’t the least bit squirrely, which is unusual.) The Ghibli style, emphasizing meticulous design, perfectly lends itself to the source material. Great care is given to the world the Borrowers have built for themselves in the hidden spaces of the human
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house, with well-placed nails serving as bridges and ladders; Yonebayashi gives equal attention to the behavior of the usual (water, say) at an unusually tiny scale, or the primordially calming rustle of wind through trees and grass. Everything about “The Secret World of Arrietty� is as vivid as it is (deceptively) simple, which places it in the top ranks of animated movies. With exquisite tenderness, the story brushes against big fears — Shawn grapples with mortality, Arrietty with losing her home — while retaining the optimistic view that friendship can mean mutually solving, or at least alleviating, problems. Kids will love the film because they cannot help but intuit its artistic purity and authenticity. Rated G. One hour, 34 minutes. — Peter Canavese
NOW PLAYING The following is a sampling of movies recently reviewed in the Weekly: The Vow --1/2 (Century 16, Century 20) If the Adam Sandler/Drew Barrymore chuckler “50 First Dates� had been recast as a romantic drama and produced by the Oprah Winfrey Network, “The Vow� might have been the result. Fortunately, leads Rachel McAdams (“Midnight in Paris�) and Channing Tatum (“Haywire�) serve up solid performances and help keep the film somewhat grounded despite its proclamations about love and loyalty. The fledgling marriage between young sweethearts Leo (Tatum) and Paige (McAdams) comes crashing to a halt when a truck slams into their car, sending Paige into a coma. When she awakes, she has no memory of Leo or their time together. Leo endures one awkward situation after another to win Paige back. Tatum and McAdams have a comfortable chemistry and their relationship is mostly believable. The romantic, cheesy scenarios that abound in “The Vow� range from endearing to saccharine. The characters in Paige’s life are moderately fleshed out, including her parents and sister (Jessica McNamee), but those in Leo’s life are numbingly one-note. While most films nowadays include 3D glasses, “The Vow� comes with the rose-colored variety. Rated PG-13 for sexual content, partial nudity, language and
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an accident scene. One hour, 44 minutes. — T.H. (Reviewed Feb. 10, 2012) Big Miracle -(Century 20) The Merriam-Webster Dictionary defines “miracle� as “an extraordinary event manifesting divine intervention in human affairs� or “an extremely outstanding or unusual event, thing, or accomplishment.� OK, so imagine that, except “big.� I kid. With “Big Miracle,� the new PG “Save the Whales� drama, perhaps the title sets an expectation that Ken Kwapis’ movie can’t quite deliver. The original title was “Everybody Loves Whales,� which suggests a sitcom nobody wants to see. “Big Miracle� recounts a 1988 incident that gripped network news cycles: A family of three grey whales becomes trapped in the ice around Barrow, Alaska, sparking a debate as to how and whether to save them. Greenpeace activist Rachel Kramer (Drew Barrymore) represents for the sentimental anthropomorphizers in the audience. Rachel gets wind of the whales from her ex-boyfriend Adam Carlson (John Krasinski), who breaks the story. The local Inuit Eskimo community has a tradition of subsisting off whale meat, and they propose harvesting the whales. But the popular decision quickly becomes to expend massive amounts of money and (federal) resources to saving the whales. “Big Miracle� plays best as a passable family flick, enabled by an Eskimo lad (Ahmaogak Sweeney) shadowing Adam everywhere. That the story otherwise downplays the role of the Inuits, in favor of the interlopers played by familiar faces, is just business as usual for mainstream cinema. Rated PG for language. One hour, 47 minutes. — P.C. (Reviewed Feb. 3, 2012) The Iron Lady ---1/2 (Century 20) Don’t expect sharp political analysis of Margaret Thatcher’s 11-year reign as the only United Kingdom female prime minister, the ultraconservative who led with an iron will and iconic hairstyle from 1979 to 1990. Phyllida Lloyd, who directed Meryl Streep in “Mamma Mia!,� offers a soft-focus look at the controversial figure — and Streep captures Maggie-the-PM and Maggie-thefrail-elderly-woman in yet another incredible performance. Thatcher’s ability to shatter gender and class barriers all the way to 10 Downing Street counterpoints the inventive rendering of her inner life and lends poignancy to the discrepancy between her situation then and now. And newcomer Alexandra Roach exhibits the spunk and drive of the Iron Lady as a young woman. You decide if Thatcher succeeded in her attempts to put the “Great� back in “Great Britain.� Politics aside, the film is a must-see for Streep’s great performance in a story compellingly told. Rated PG-13 for brief nudity and some violent images. One hour, 45 minutes. — S.T. (Reviewed Jan. 13, 2012) A Separation ---1/2 (Guild) Even as she defends her divorce filing, an Iranian woman says of her spouse, “He is a good, decent person.� But “A Separation� — Iran’s entry for Oscar’s Best Foreign Language Film — tests its every proposition, from the wisdom of the couple’s separation to the ethical rectitude of the spurned husband. The opening scene of writer-director Asghar Farhadi’s drama lets wife Simin (Leila Hatami) and husband Nader (Peyman Moadi) vent their sides of the dispute that threatens to end their marriage. The two separate, forcing 11-year-old Termeh (Sarina Farhadi) to quietly play one parent against the other in the hope they’ll see the errors of their ways. The climate of cultural repression in Iran has only made its cinema more vital. The film’s separations can be familial, but also those of class and culture and between citizen and state; above all, Farhadi’s parable teaches that a rush to judgment inevitably turns back on the judge. Though the characters may not live in glass houses, it’s a shattered windshield that attends the film’s moment of truth. Rated PG-13 for thematic material. Two hours, three minutes. — P.C. (Reviewed Feb. 3, 2012)
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