A twenty-seven-year-old office worker travels to the countryside while reminiscing about her childhood in Tokyo.

Directed by Studio Ghibli co-founder, Isao Takahata (who already directed Grave of the Fireflies), this is another movie anchored in reality, with the main protagonist facing memories of the past while discovers more about herself through nostalgia. Using flashbacks, it touches serious subjects, like a toxic family life, awful parents, environmentalism, puberty and personal relationships, while being fun and entertaining. The music is also connected to the reality, at some point being happy to notice the unmistakable pan flute of the great Gheorghe Zamfir. Another Studio Ghibli that I’ve seen for the first time, it gets six popcorns and goes into the Movie Vault with the others.

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Along with her black cat Jiji, Kiki settles in a seaside town and starts a high-flying delivery service. Here begins her magical encounter with independence and responsibility, making lifelong friends and finding her place in the world.

After the previous movie, this one is a breath of fresh air. It’s funny, it’s captivating, it throws magic right into your face from the beginning. I loved the representation of the city life and how odd Kiki seems in that world where she tries to find her place. A great coming-of-age movie that’s both heart-warming and insightful. This is the first Studio Ghibli that I’ve never heard about and it was a pleasant surprise to discover it. Six popcorns.

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A young boy and his little sister struggle to survive in Japan during World War II.

Yeah… About this… Even if I’ve already seen this a couple of times, last time about 10 years ago, this is still painful to watch. It’s the first Studio Ghibli serious movie and it’s a brainful. It’s grim, sad, brutal and realistic and hits like a fucking truck. It’s something I would never recommend to a child, but definitely recommend to an adult. The music is beautifully haunting and it highlights the sad and brutal reality of war, the movie being essentially a lesson in humanity and its fragility. I’m not sure if the popcorn rating would apply here, as this movie is not fun to watch, but it is a must-see one. Seven stars out of five, for a movie that is definitely one of the best war dramas of all time.

Why do fireflies have to die so soon?

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When two girls move to the country to be near their ailing mother, they have adventures with the wondrous forest spirits who live nearby.

I still remember seeing this back in 2015, it’s heartwarming and it tells a beautiful strong story the right way. The line between reality and fantasy is often crossed, just as any kid would naturally do and it is probably one of the best movies directed by Miyazaki in the 1984-1995 timeframe. There’s not much really to say about it, as I think it’s a worldwide classic, with a lot of good lessons to learn. I also love how this is more down to Earth than the previous two movies, less scientific and more fantastic, but with a tighter grip on reality and the human relationships. Seven popcorns for one of the best movies of all time.

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Pazu’s life changes when he meets Sheeta, a girl whom pirates are chasing for her crystal amulet, which has the potential to locate Laputa, a legendary castle floating in the sky.

Back at the end of 2015 and the beginning of 2016, I was in the middle of my “Watch all the IMDb Top 250 movies”, so naturally, I got into a streak of randomly ordered Studio Ghibli, and “Castle in the Sky” was one of them. It’s a very interesting thing how Hayao Miyazaki is basically the King Midas of animation and everything that he touches becomes gold, “Castle in the Sky” ending up to be simply a masterpiece. Fantasy, sci-fi, retro-futurism and steampunk/cyberpunk are mixed with a great soundtrack and together they tell a beautiful story. I love the motifs of huge flying megastructures in sci-fi and fantasy creations and this theme has been tackled in different ways over the centuries, in all formats, but Miyazaki wraps this up beautifully in a classic Studio Ghibli masterpiece. Six popcorns.

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Warrior and pacifist Princess Nausicaä desperately struggles to prevent two warring nations from destroying themselves and their dying planet.

A thousand years after the end of civilization as we know it, the world is completely changed I’ve seen this the first (and last time) back in 2015, so it’s a great time to re-watch it. The post apocalyptic universe is masterfully done (as one would expect from a Studio Ghibli movie), the story is well written and keeps you glued to the screen. I loved how Nausicaä is the personification of the harmony between human and nature against the environment degradation, represented by the Sea of Decay. Six popcorns, especially for Teto, the fox-squirrel.

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A young woman struggles for independence.

Fantastic underrated movie! While not only being the first movie of Al Pacino (where he only appears for like 20 seconds), it’s a beautiful coming of age drama, mixing comedy and sadness with great artistry. This is a fun movie, the kind that leaves you speechless at the end, not because of some unexpected plot twist, but because it leaves you with a “m_damn, what a good movie was this!_” feeling. Seven popcorns and it goes into the Movie Vault, and it’s also a strong candidate for “the best movie I’ve seen this year”.

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To mark the sport’s 70th anniversary, Sky and F1 utilise its rich and impressive archive footage to tell the iconic stories of the sport though the decades, giving fans a real insight into the sport’s history and personalities.

Featuring rare & never-before-seen footage with some of F1’s biggest names… Look out for our new 7-part Sky original docuseries in collaboration with F1, this is a nifty piece of Formula 1 history. Six popcorns and it goes into the Movie Vault

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When her mother disappears while on vacation in Colombia with her new boyfriend, June’s search for answers is hindered by international red tape. However, as she digs deeper, her digital sleuthing soon raises more questions than answers.

Similar to its predecessor, it’s a good thriller filled with twists and turns and unexpected things. It falls a lot into the “suspend disbelief” category at some times, but in the end it’s a nice “whodunnit” movie. Three popcorns.

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After his teenage daughter goes missing, a desperate father tries to find clues on her laptop.

A story told entirely through a character’s laptop screen, this is a nice approach to movie making, making it not only interesting, but also a good paced thriller that keeps you glued to the screen. Loved the twists and turns and how the movie hits you right in the feels every now and then. Five popcorns and it goes into the Movie Vault.

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Greed and class discrimination threaten the newly formed symbiotic relationship between the wealthy Park family and the destitute Kim clan.

Based on a brilliant premise, members of the poor Kim family slowly infiltrate the life of the wealthy Park family. Great dark comedy mixed with drama elements which put Korean movies once again on the map, Bong Joon Ho’s movie getting four Oscars, including for Best Movie. I’m not sure if it was the best movie of 2019, but it was definitely a nice watch. Six popcorns and goes into the Movie Vault.

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A mother desperately searches for the killer who framed her son for a girl’s horrific murder.

Hye-ja is a single mom to 27-year-old Do-joon. Her son is her raison dêtre. Though an adult in years, Do-joon is naïve and dependent on his mother, and a constant source of anxiety, often behaving in ways that are foolish or simply dangerous. Walking home alone one night down a nearly empty city street, he encounters a young girl who he follows for a while before she disappears into a dark alley. The next morning, she is found dead in an abandoned building and Do-joon is accused of her murder. Thanks to an inefficient lawyer and an apathetic police force, Do-joons case is quickly closed, but his mother refuses to let this be the end of the story. Trusting no one, Hye-jas maternal instincts kick into overdrive, and she sets out to find the girls killer and prove her sons innocence. From Bong Joon Ho, director of Parasite and Mickey 17. Three popcorns for a good movie.

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