'Daily pauses'

There’s a moment about three-quarters of the way through The Boy and the Heron when the young protagonist‚ Mahito‚ and a companion‚ make their way down a rough-hewn stairway carved into a crevasse. A waterfall cascades beside them; other people bustle about. And there‚ for a few seconds‚ a rainbow shimmers when light hits the waterfall. This is not a spoiler. It’s not a pivotal moment‚ the rainbow doesn’t suddenly turn into a fantastical creature or a portal to another world—it’s just a rainbow (if a rainbow can ever be just a rainbow) but Miyazaki‚ or a member of his team‚ took the time to draw and color that rainbow‚ to get the shading just right. Mahito and his friend don’t even notice it. It’s there for us. I’m going to talk about The Boy and the Heron in terms of theme and tone‚ because I don’t want to spoil the experience for anyone who has yet to see it. The Boy and the Heron is the most perfect distillation of dream logic I’ve ever seen on film. Even while we’re still in the “real” world‚ Miyazaki drops us into Mahito’s dreams with no warning or indication‚ which means that we’re experiencing life along with Mahito the way a child would. Sometimes you fall asleep in the back of the car‚ or on the floor in front of the TV‚ and wake up in your own bed. Mahito‚ who is coping with some heavy trauma‚ is sometimes trapped in terrible nightmares before waking into a life he doesn’t much want. And that’s before he embarks on a rescue mission into an unknown alternate world. This is Hayao Miyazaki’s first feature-length fantasy since Ponyo—and this one’s definitely for older kids and adults. From the opening scene‚ The Boy and the Heron wrestles with mourning‚ irrevocable change‚ and death. World War II has already been raging for a few years when Mahito Maki’s mother dies in a fire‚ and it’s only one year later that his father Shoichi moves both of them to the country‚ both to be closer to the family factory‚ and to join Natsuko‚ Mahito’s auntie-turned-brand-new-stepmother‚ already enormously pregnant with Mahito’s looming younger sibling. And while the boy tries to keep up a polite‚ calm exterior‚ he’s furious‚ grief-stricken‚ and troubled by dark dreams of his mother’s death. He’s also haunted by the Grey Heron—called “that nosy heron” in the subtitled version—who seems to watch his every move‚ and even comes into the house to confront him. The heron mocks him‚ and challenges the personality he presents to the rest of the household. But his most troubling act comes later: he speaks with a human voice‚ and insists that Mahito’s mother is still alive. Will Mahito follow him into what may be a trap to see for himself? Or is this the dream of a boy who can’t accept his loss and grow into a new life? Mahito is not a plucky Miyazaki character‚ or even a noble youth‚ or a cute kid‚ or a slightly sullen girl who needs to remember that there’s magic in the world. Mahito is kind of… prickly. He’s a troubled‚ heartsick‚ and grieving‚ but he’s also cold to people who want to be kind to him. Faced with a difficult new beginning‚ he chooses to make it worse. And the animal who becomes his guide is no cuddly Totoro or sarcastic cat—the Heron tells him flatly that he is not Mahito’s friend or ally‚ and at one point threatens to tear his heart out. Screenshot: Studio Ghibli This is a dark‚ mature work. While the plot has little in common with Mononoke Hime‚ and it doesn’t have that film’s epic sweep‚ emotionally it feels almost as complex. It’s just that instead of diving into a deep mythological version of Japanese history‚ this is diving deep into the subconscious of a grieving boy that is also a Lewis Carroll-ish alternate universe with its own rules and structure. That’s what I meant about dream logic—if you allow the movie to work on you‚ which I’ve done twice now‚ it makes a kind of deep sense. The world shifts constantly‚ characters will talk about rules and taboos that were never mentioned before‚ and we’re expected to accept it and keep going: You shouldn’t have opened that gate—now you have to walk backwards away from the cemetery in order to appease the dead—no looking behind you! You have to gut the fish properly because the WaraWara need it to fly. The stones don’t want you here‚ and you respect that‚ but you also know that you have to be here whether the stones like it or not. The person in front of you is a young and vibrant pirate‚ and one of the aunties you left back in the other world—you don’t know how you know her name‚ but you do. Image: Studio Ghibli Genzaburō Yoshino’s How Do You Live? was originally published in 1937 as part of a series of books for young people. I haven’t read the book‚ but apparently it’s a series of letters and musings between a boy and his beloved uncle‚ who exchange ideas on‚ well‚ how to live. The movie borrows the title‚ and a copy of How Do You Live? shows up in the movie at an important moment when Mahito‚ quite literally‚ has to decide how he’s going to live. But the thing I find so interesting about the movie is that‚ if this was the original jumping off point for Miyazaki’s script‚ it leaves the book’s focus on all the store of small details of daily life‚ Japanese culture‚ and getting along at school to instead leap into a fantastic world of symbols and unknowable rules‚ that nevertheless do teach Mahito how to live as he makes his way. I recently watched a documentary about Jon Batiste called American Symphony‚ and at one point Batiste says: “What we love about music is not that it sounds good; what we love about music is that it sounds inevitable.” That is what I felt watching The Boy and the Heron. I’m not sure where it stands in Miyazaki’s ouevre‚ or if it’s that’s even a relevant question‚ but this one—maybe most like Totoro for me—felt inevitable. With each new challenge or creature that Mahito encounters I felt a click in my brain that it was the only challenge or creature. Each time the rules changed it made sense to me in the way my dreams make sense while I’m in them. I’m not sure there’s anyone else working in film today who could pull this off. Image: Studio Ghibli I was lucky enough to see The Boy and the Heron in Japanese with English subtitles as part of the New York Film Festival in September‚ and‚ because it’s already out in New York‚ I got to see the English language dub before I finished my review. (I tend not to watch dubs‚ but I do love the Ghibli ones—how can I say no to fellow Pittsburgher Michael Keaton as Porco Rosso?) And while I think I like the subtitled version slightly more‚ The Boy and the Heron has an excellent dub. Christian Bale comes back to Ghibli-land to voice Mahito’s father‚ with a really fun accent. Luca Padovan is excellent in the lead‚ as is Soma Santoki in the original. Florence Pugh and Ko Shibasaki are both absolutely delightful as Kiriko‚ and obviously Mark Hamill brings weirdness and gravitas to the Great-Grand-Uncle. But the reason I wanted to see the dub before I finished the review was Robert Pattinson as the Heron. I became a fan of Robert Pattinson about one minute into his first scene in The Lost City of Z‚ and ever since then it‘s been so fun to watch him run full tilt into being A Weird Guy In Interesting Movies. Here he had a chance to go for it as the voice of the Heron. The original voice‚ Masaki Suda‚ was weird and gnarled and sinister (apparently Miyazaki apologized for writing such a strange part?) and Pattinson brings all that to the role while‚ I think‚ making it a little more comic. There were a lot of laughs in my theater‚ which was welcome in such a dark story. There is an element of Miyazaki remix here that I found fascinating. There is a magical fire spirit that recalls Calcifer but takes things in a VERY different direction; on top of once-and-forever Howl joining the English voice cast‚ there’s another riff on the Moving Castle itself—a magical structure whose doors open onto many times and lands; the magical structure is also reminiscent of the Castle of Cagliostro; there is a different magical structure of immense power that hovers over the ground‚ as in Laputa; the WaraWara reminded me of both Mononoke Hime’s Kodama and Totoro’s Soot Sprites—but here‚ too‚ the film takes these creatures go in a very different‚ more serious direction than their predecessors; a sullen kid has to rescue a parental figure‚ as in Spirited Away; there is a magical arrow that knows how to find its mark‚ just like Prince Ashitaka’s arrows sometimes can. I’m not mentioning these things to say that Miyazaki is repeating himself‚ however‚ far from it: each of these elements is taken in a new and startling direction. It’s also fascinating to me that the Miyazaki family’s love of Ursula K Le Guin is on full display—for about five minutes‚ The Boy and the Heron is the best adaptation of The Farthest Shore we’re ever gonna get. Image: Studio Ghibli And I didn’t even get to how this film understand that parakeets‚ even though they may love you‚ yearn for the taste of human flesh. I think the thing that I’m circling is that this movie‚ on the surface‚ is escapism. It follows a child into a Wonderland. But it uses the strange logic of that wonderland to ask the most important questions a human can ask: How do you create a just world? Why do we want to create at all? Is there any point in creation‚ when everything created will inevitably collapse into ruin and death? And because this is Miyazaki‚ the movie doesn’t give you easy answers. It sends you out into our world with the questions still rattling in your head. Leah Schnelbach hopes their retirement is half as creative and full of incredible work as Miyazaki’s has been. Come talk to them on zombie twitter or Blue Sky or wherever!

If I could manage Miss Treason’s general death arc… that’s what I want‚ is the point. I want to do that. Summary As Tiffany works through the funeral‚ she hears that Granny has put her name forward for Miss Treason’s cottage‚ which has Annagramma very upset. Tiffany assures her that she doesn’t want the cottage‚ but she asks Miss Tick why they’re going to allow Annagramma to take the position when they know she’s a terrible fit for the area. Miss Tick doesn’t have an answer for her. The funeral finishes up and everyone heads home‚ leaving Tiffany with Miss Treason for the final night. She cleans the cottage‚ writes down everything she can think of about the area to help Annagramma‚ then goes to talk to Miss Treason. The witch gives Tiffany her broom‚ a dictionary and one other book (Tiffany selects the mythology book). She teaches Tiffany poker‚ and tells her to be mindful of her young man‚ then they fall asleep. When they wake in the morning‚ the town is on the lawn‚ there to praise Miss Treason and get last bits of advice. Tiffany takes her down into her grave (which the Feegle dug for her)‚ and Miss Treason is taken by Death. Tiffany puts her boffos into the grave with her so no one knows her secrets‚ cleans the house up‚ and goes outside‚ running into the Wintersmith again. He insists that Tiffany is “her” and tries to grab hold of her. Buy it Now Granny shows up to stop him‚ and asks for Tiffany’s necklace—it’s how the Wintersmith finds her. Tiffany hands it over‚ and Granny and Mrs. Earwig have a very chilly meeting as the cottage is handed over to Annagramma. The Wintersmith remembers that Tiffany said she needed a person made of human stuff and goes looking for things to build himself out of so that he can be right for her. Tiffany and Granny head to Lancre and Granny gives Tiffany the necklace to drop into the river‚ so it’ll be carried far from her. That night at Nanny Ogg’s‚ Tiffany has a dream that she’s on a ship heading to an iceberg version of herself. The Wintersmith tells her that he wishes to marry her. The Feegle arrive in her dream to help‚ but the ship does hit the iceberg. She wakes being given tea by one of Nanny’s daughter-in-laws‚ and finds that Horace has made a home with the Feegle. When Tiffany puts her feet on Nanny’s floorboards‚ they sprout and grow. Nanny gives her slippers‚ and she‚ Granny‚ and Miss Tick explain that Tiffany is taking on the attributes of the Summer Lady because she joined the dance. They think she’ll have to embody the role a little more fully and help send winter on his way when the seasons change. Tiffany does the rounds with Nanny and comes back to a book the Feegle got her from the library‚ which is a romance novel. Tiffany has a hard time understanding why no one is doing any work‚ and why the heroine feels she needs to marry one of her two suitors. Roland continues to write letters to Tiffany as his aunts find his escape routes and try to wall him into his room. The Wintersmith keeps obtaining more and more advice about how to build a human form. Annagramma arrives at Nanny’s in a panic one evening: She can’t handle the steading. She wants the skulls back and she doesn’t know anything about medicine or childbirth or staying up all night with the dead. She asks Tiffany if she’ll come do those thing for her. Tiffany agrees to help her through the first few rough tasks‚ but that’s it. She thinks that Granny did this on purpose so people would learn that Mrs. Earwig is a bad teacher‚ which she doesn’t think is right. Nanny tells her not to assume and that Tiffany can do this as long as she’s still working for her. Tiffany aids Annagramma‚ who comes out looking alright despite not knowing anything. Tiffany heads back to Nanny Ogg‚ who tells her that she ought to treat the Wintersmith more imperiously‚ like a queen‚ if she wants him to back off. Tiffany has a letter from Roland where he tells her that he went to a ball and danced with Lord Driver’s daughter and looked at her watercolors. She gets jealous hearing this‚ and goes downstairs to eat‚ but can’t get the cutlery drawer to open‚ which summons Anoia (Goddess of Things That Get Stuck in Drawers). Anoia tells Tiffany to send the Wintersmith packing‚ as men are always “raining on your lava” (she used to be a volcano goddess). Annagramma shows up again—she sent Mrs. Sumpter’s pig up a tree‚ and she hates all these people with their piddly little problems. Tiffany tells her off and also insists that she tells the truth; it turns out that Annagramma’s family is poor and doesn’t even have a cottage. Tiffany says that the other young witches will help her‚ but that she’s got to listen and be grateful. The coven doesn’t want to help‚ but they listen to Tiffany once Petulia agrees. Tiffany tells the Wintersmith to leave her be and stop making ice in her shape and name. After Hogswatch‚ a cornucopia lands. You (Granny’s kitten) gets lost inside it and they have to send the Feegle after her. Once they’ve returned‚ Tiffany learns how it works: You simply ask it for any kind of food or drink‚ and it provides it. Commentary Thought I was safe from crying for once in this set of books‚ but I forgot about Miss Treason’s send off. There’s a great throughline here‚ that stretches all the way back to the earlier books‚ but particularly Witches Abroad‚ with the old woman who is being callously neglected by her community‚ and Granny Weatherwax setting that right. Miss Treason is mythological to her community‚ and she worked hard at that story because it made her impossible to ignore‚ but also protected her from harm. And she did it so well that these people loved her‚ even as they were afraid or confused by her. She was a fixture of their lives‚ and they all needed to see her go. To be there for her‚ and to be a part of the story as well. People becoming myths is a central piece of this book‚ and it’s utilized in a number of fun ways. We’ve got Miss Treason‚ we’ve got Tiffany learning to be Summer‚ we’ve got the Wintersmith trying to become a human and further mythologize himself as a person‚ and we’ve got Annagramma… who thinks that she’s already achieved mythology because her mentor was all sight and no substance. Tiffany believes that Granny is allowing Annagramma to fail to make a point about Mrs. Earwig‚ and Nanny rightly suggests that she check that impulse. The one thing that Tiffany will never be able to see in her own story is how the work of generations passes down—she’s too young for that yet. Granny needs Tiffany to take up her place in the witching community. That means Tiffany needs to see to her own generation‚ and that includes getting the rest of the young witches to pull Annagramma together because if they don’t‚ people will get hurt. And that’s difficult to read because there are some people who truly can get away with never thinking of others before themselves. Pratchett is always adamant about including those people and showing how best to handle them—and it’s never telling them off and leaving them to flounder. Because the consequences of that are too great‚ and you are never above thinking of everyone in the blast radius of your choices. Angered decency. His favorite attribute to give central characters. You can know that people are sometimes terrible‚ maybe even undeserving‚ but that doesn’t mean you can be petty‚ and let others take the brunt of their ignorance. Not if you can fix it. I will say that I’ve missed Gytha Ogg terribly in recent books‚ and having her around again makes everything just a little bit more… comfy. Granny is the best‚ but you miss out on the cushions and the brandy and the general lewdness when Nanny’s not about. And there’s an auntie-ness that Nanny bring as well‚ which Granny obviously cannot add to the proceedings. It’s a profound shift‚ going from the wonderful eeriness of Miss Treason’s home into the bric-a-brac and thick mattresses and plentiful dinners of Nanny Ogg’s‚ like being swaddled in kitsch and warmth. Tiffany deserves that experience too. Asides and little thoughts: I need Terry Pratchett to know that wherever he is‚ in whatever sort of beyond‚ I cannot ever pass from this life to anything else because he has informed me that pickles don’t make it. Sorry. Not going where I can’t have pickles. Why would he tell me that. The Wintersmith has purple-gray eyes. If you were ever involved in the fanfiction community‚ you know that one of the tendencies of “Mary Sue” writing was to always give the girl or woman super special features‚ with purple eyes being one of the most common attributes. It seems fitting that the Wintersmith‚ a mythological aspect who is trying to shape himself into the right sort of young man for Tiffany‚ would take a cue from that line of thinking. Tiffany‚ trying to go to sleep: “The trouble is‚ you can shut your eyes but you can’t shut your mind.” Yeah. Me too‚ sweetie. Me too. Pratchettisms: Like an oyster dealing with a piece of grit‚ Tiffany coated it with people and hard work. “We make happy endings‚ child‚ day to day. But you see‚ for the witch there are no happy endings. There are just endings. And here we are…” The house feels like it’s dying and I’m going outside. Tiffany nodded. She wasn’t crying‚ which is not the same as‚ well‚ not crying. Mrs. Ogg’s face broke into a huge grin that should have been locked up for the sake of public decency‚ and for some reason Tiffany felt a lot better. Change the Story‚ even if you don’t mean to‚ and the Story changes you. Nanny stood up and tried to look haughty‚ which is hard to do when you have a face like a happy apple. “You cussed. Sooner or later‚ every curse is a prayer.” People wanted the world to be a story‚ because stories had to sound right and make sense. People wanted the world to make sense. Next week we finish the book!

The holidays are upon us‚ which marks the time of the year to save a lot on some amazing gaming deals. Whether you’re looking for consoles‚ PCs‚ or games‚ this list will go over the 10 best gaming deals I’ve found this 2023 holiday season. PlayStation 5 Slim with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 Image: Sony PlayStation 5 Slim with Marvel’s Spider-Man 2 – $499.99 ($60 off) on Amazon We’re coming up on halfway through this console generation‚ and it’s the first time current-gen consoles are actually available to buy from retailers and not scalpers. That‚ paired with the fact that there are several great PS5 games to enjoy‚ means there’s never been a better time to buy a PlayStation 5‚ especially the PlayStation 5 Slim. The PlayStation 5 Slim has the same exact specs as a regular PlayStation 5‚ but it’s smaller‚ has a detachable disc drive‚ and has a bigger SSD. With this bundle‚ you’ll save money on a...

While you’re using your weapons and tools in LEGO Fortnite‚ you’ll soon realize that you should figure out how to repair them. Since the durability of your weapons and tools can run out pretty quickly‚ let’s explore whether or not you can repair them. LEGO Fortnite: Can you repair tools and weapons? You’ve been using that Pickaxe and Sword quite a lot‚ but now they’re losing durability. What can you do? Unfortunately‚ there is no legit way to repair your weapons and tools in LEGO Fortnite. Although‚ this survival mode is pretty new‚ so this could become a feature in future updates. But for now‚ the only way to fix this issue is to craft brand new weapons and tools. Screenshot: PC Invasion Related: How to Emote in LEGO Fortnite There is one catch though: There currently is a sneaky way to fix the durability of your tools‚ but it isn’t legit. There’s one bug that players have discovered onl...

Baldur’s Gate 3 took over gaming for 2023‚ and the game has soared beyond anyone could’ve expected. However‚ Xbox fans were left out of the initial launch of the game. With BG3 expanding to more platforms‚ is Xbox one of them? Can I play Baldurs Gate 3 on Xbox? Larian Studios was crowned the winner of six awards during the annual festival of gaming‚ in the form of The Game Awards‚ including taking home the well-deserved Game of the Year 2023 honor. With the game going above and beyond in every regard‚ players globally are thrilled that this RPG exists‚ and we see more and more players express their love for it. However‚ for Xbox players‚ this love has been one-sided since it was released back in August‚ as the game has not been ported over to the console until now. Right after Baldurs Gate 3 won Game of the Year‚ they quickly announced on social media that the game is officially out now for Xbox Series consoles worldwide. This comes ...

Understandably‚ you want to launch into The Finals and start having a blast… literally. However‚ if you’re getting stopped by an impermeable black screen‚ I’m here to help. Best ways to fix black screen error in The Finals When you boot up The Finals and get a black screen that doesn’t go away‚ there’s something wrong. Luckily‚ there are several fixes you can try to remove this error and get back to playing. Related: How to Add Friends on The Finals Restart your game and device As cliche as it is‚ the first thing you should do is restart the game and then restart your device. Start with restarting your game. Close it down completely and try rebooting it. Sometimes‚ that’s enough to fix the issue. If you’re still getting the black screen error‚ try restarting your device. Whether you’re on PlayStation 5‚ Xbox Series X|S‚ or PC‚ completely shut down your device (and power cycle it by removing the ...

Canalize the strength of your dead minions and use bones as a death sentence. Here is the best Necromancer build for Abattoir of Zir (AOZ) in Diablo 4. Diablo 4: Best Necromancer Build for Abattoir of Zir Whenever you are feeling accomplished after defeating the most powerful endgame boss and the hardest piece of endgame content‚ then comes along Blizzard and says “That’s cute”‚ and then releases Abattoir of Zir. Not only are the event’s entry requirements ludicrous for the average player – level 100‚ 800 Sigil Powder‚ defeat Uber Lilith‚ etc. -‚ but the event itself will even “test your might” – MK reference‚ by the way. Now‚ while I’m a Barbarian in my heart‚ the power potential of the Necromancer cannot be underestimated. Therefore‚ be prepared for some undead action. Or maybe not. You see‚ the best Necromancer build for Abattoir of Zir is the Bone Spear Necromancer‚ which means that‚ while your Undead Minio...

The West Is Taking Draconian Measures to Silence Free Speech