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Makoto Shinkai is unique in his directing style in that he often places more focus on a character's inner thoughts rather than his or her dialogue and interacting with the environment. While this style has its own set of strengths and weaknesses, Shinkai uses it to his advantage to often show a emotion driven story. Such as is here in "The Place Promised in our Early Days." It is not a good as some of his other efforts, but it is still worth the watch nonetheless. The story is about three friends living in a alternate reality Japan. Japan has been split in have by America who controls the south and "the Union" controlling the north. There is a tower that goes beyond the clouds and the three friends make a promise to go fly up to it using a plane that they salvage and start to repair. One day, one of the friends disappear and story follows the other two friends and how they cope and ultimately try to find and help her. Like I said, the setting is in a alternate history and there are some science fiction influences in the world. However, it does not detract from the highlight which is he story. The first part of the story involves the three friends enjoying their summer. It is so genuine in terms of emotion and the bright lighting and beautiful drawn environments really brings the story to life. The character animations is not the best and the voice acting is OK at best, but the environments themselves are so beautiful that you'll easily forgive the previous complaints. Shinkai excels at portraying emotions of lost and isolation, especially when it involves old friends and lost lovers. It is no exception here. The main character is the most developed here as we hear his inner thoughts the most and his desire to see his lost friend again is interesting. As much as I like this movie, it is hard not to compare it to another Makoto Shinkai film, "5cm per Second." The reason I like that film better is because there was nothing that distracted the main story. It was clear and to the point with nothing distracting. Same can't be said for this movie. There is a lot of background here involving politics and a weird dream/ parallel universe science that gets convoluted and messy and at times, it can get distracting. That being said, if you want a movie with genuine emotion, this is not a bad watch. In a age where anime tends to focus less on story and more and cutesy hi jinks and everyday nonsense of high school students who can't get a girl, "The Place Promised in our Early Years" is a refreshing, emotional, and occasionally beautiful film that won't leave and tears in your eyes, but might leave you staring at the screen even after the credits start rolling.

There are many things factors that qualifies a movie to be objectively good. At the end of the day, what you will want out of a movie is based on both expectations and what you generally expect. Some people want some kind of intellectual gratification while others look for a emotional one. The Secret Life of Walter Mitty falls into the latter as this genuine and honest movie directed and starring Ben Stiller put a smile on my face while I left the theater. Walter Mitty works at Life Magazine where he is in charge of getting negatives ready for every issue. He is a constant daydreamer that constantly escapes into different worlds to distract him from his boring life. One day, while Walter is getting ready the last negatives for the final issue of Life Magazine, Walter notices that one of the negatives are missing. Walter goes on a once in a life time trek to track down the photographer and try to find it. Ben Stiller is great as Walter as he brings a much more subtle character to the screen. He is funny in a down-to-earth kind of way and he connect with his dreams and his frustration with his uneventful life. He is not a boring person but he is a scared one, often afraid of taking chances. However, where Ben Stiller truly shines in this film is behind the camera. The cinematography is absolutely gorgeous and the sweeping camera and gorgeous set pieces will have your attention. The most notable scene is the long board sequence. Even though it was exciting, it also brought a sense of piece and beauty. It was surprisingly clean and felt incredibly dynamic. Really, this movie's message is directed towards those of the middle age. It inspires those who are too afraid or feel like they are losing the race against time to embrace life while they have it. After all, the world is a beautiful place, and you might as we bomb some hills as we spread our arms like the king of the world.