So at long last I saw the animated movie that created such a stir and won an Academy Award--Spirited Away. Considering how much everyone raved about this movie to me, I am afraid of the response by ardent fans when I say: am I the only one who felt as though you had to either be on acid or just recovering from heavy anesthetic due to surgery to enjoy this movie?

I loved the animation itself, and I appreciate the cultural richness in the story that is also, at the same time, foreign to me...but I felt like I'd sidled into one of my bad dreams, the kind you wake up from and think: Did I really dream of a stink spirit taking a sauna and a big-nosed magic-wielding madam with a giant baby?? Plus, the American voiceovers were terrible. The main little girl, Chihiro, shouts throughout the entire movie. The character named Lin sounds like she's from southern California. Yubaba sounds like Cloris Leachman. I mean...couldn't they have gotten some talented actors?

But mainly, when I see an animated film--unless I'm watching Spike & Mike's twisted animation--I want to come away feeling jolly and full of moral cheer about how to be kind to others or how not to hate. In this case, I had to check to see if bugs were crawling out of my skin!

I think I'm doomed to become like one of those old men from the muppet show, the ones who sat in the balcony and jeered at everything. I seem to dislike that which everyone else likes, and fall madly in love with that which others don't have strong feelings about.

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In other news: The gray hairs have begun. I've found three. THREE!!!!!!!!

JPR