Okko’s Inn
All are welcome
Release Out now
Director Kitarô Kôsaka
Cast Seiran Kobayashi, Nana Mizuki, Satsumi
Matsuda, Rina Endô
Distributor National Amusements
Certificate PG
Coming from anime powerhouse
Madhouse, this film adaptation of Hiroko Reijo
and Asami’s children’s novels is a colourful and
energetic blast of youthful energy that barrels in
with such enthusiasm that its quieter moments
of tenderness and reflection will surprise you.
When young Okko’s parents are killed in a car
accident, she goes to live with her grandmother
Mineko at her small town inn. Before long,
Okko encounters a friendly ghost named Uribo
who is determined to keep her spirits up and
encourages her to take on the role of ‘junior
innkeeper’. After some initial clumsiness, Okko
dives into the job and settles in wonderfully...
but Uribo isn’t the only spirit in town.
Can Okko learn to get on with competitive
local rival Matsuki, and can she learn to live
with the grief that she carries with her?
Anime fans who are more used to the genteel
atmosphere of Studio Ghibli’s output may find
the energy of Okko’s Inn something of a tempo
change, but there’s a considered empathy behind
the shopping montages and pratfalls. Director
Kitarô Kôsaka (who worked as an animator on
the bulk of Ghibli’s output) consistently finds
moments of reflection in amongst the more
child-friendly sequences and there are moments
of real heartbreak and growth for our heroine.
On one hand this is a traditional ghost story,
with each encounter providing Okko with the
emotional tools she needs to move on with her
life. But there’s also an understanding of what
makes the core elements of a story like this so
powerful, and Okko’s growing relationship with
Matsuki delivers an important lesson about
patience and the fact that we don’t always know
what lies behind the attitudes of others.
This is a light and entertaining effort that has
an endearing warmth to it, and while it doesn’t
quite have the power needed to make it a must-
see, it’s certainly not a trip you’ll regret taking.
Jonathan Hatfull
REVIEWS CINEMA // HOME FILM
074 | WWW.SCIFINOW.CO.UK
Shazam!
Big 2: The Steroid Years
Release 12 August
Director David F Sandberg
Cast Zachary Levi, Mark Strong, Asher Angel,
Jack Dylan Grazer, Djimon Hounsou
Distributor Warner Bros Home Entertainment
Certificate 12
Format t
After an encounter with a wizard,
foster kid Billy Batson acquires the
ability to transform into a grown adult
with powers in DC’s latest adventure.
While Shazam! is more family friendly than
the likes of Batman V Superman, it still contains
genuinely scary scenes and characters. However,
those elements just prove that Shazam isn’t
messing around. It’s funny and weird, but it’s
still very much a super-powered blockbuster.
Director Kitarô
Kôsaka’s first credit
was key animator on
Nausicaä Of The Valley
Of The Wind in 1984.What makes this stand out is that it focuses
on kids that fight alongside Billy in adult form,
played wonderfully by Zachary Levi. It packs
all the right left hooks, but it does so with
heart, which is what was missing from past DC
outings. With Shazam! and Aquaman wowing
audiences, there’s now no weight to the ‘DC tries
too hard to be gritty’ argument. DC is fun now.
Poppy-Jay Palmer
Weird
Science
Babe of Frankenstein
Release Out now
Director John Hughes
Cast Anthony Michael Hall, Ilan
Mitchell-Smith, Kelly LeBrock, Bill Paxton
Distributor Arrow Video
Certificate 15
FormatSF comedy Weird Science
still stands as an oddity in John
Hughes’ filmography, but while
the jokes, stereotypes and
Anthony Michael Hall’s drunk acting have all
aged as well as you’d expect (oh boy), there is
the filmmaker’s signature heart at its core.
Kelly LeBrock’s wry turn as Lisa helps to
keep the film from tipping too far into the
realm of ick, and Bill Paxton is fantastically
revolting as the asshole older brother. If Weird
Science is a treasured piece of nostalgia, rest
assured that the effects are still fun and the
performances are still good. If not, be warned
that it’s not overly funny... but as a weird
studio comedy artefact it’s fascinating.
Arrow’s disc includes an extended cut, new
interviews with behind the camera talent and
a featurette ported from the DVD.
Jonathan Hatfull