What to Watch This Weekend: June 26, 2020

Political Comedy: Irresistible (Home Rental)

Irresistible will make you laugh, cringe, and think a lot about our political system, in this hilarious dark comedy that sheds a satirical light on our political process.  For more information, check out our review!

Irreverent Relationship Comedy: aTypical Wednesday (Digital)
aTypical Wednesday is an irreverent, original, and fresh comedy that takes J. Lee on a journey of self discovery that will have you rooting for and learning from him while laughing out loud.  For more information, check out our review!

Hilarious Musical Comedy: Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga (Netflix)

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga is a classic return to form of the Will Ferrell buddy comedy, with great exaggerated characters, laugh out loud moments, and plenty of heart and talent underneath the ridiculous exterior.  For more information, check out our review!

For The Kids: Scoob! (HBO Max)
Scoob! is an entertaining animated reboot of the original television series.  It makes small updates but keeps much of what made the original show an enjoyable watch.  And it is now free to stream on HBO Max!

For The Older Kids: My Spy (Amazon Prime)
My Spy pits Bautista against his greatest challenge--a 9 year old girl--leading to some hilarious scenarios and heartwarming situations.  However, parents should be warned that this film has a little too much violence and language for young kids.  For more information, check out our review!

Anime: A Whisker Away (Netflix)
A Whisker Away is a beautifully animated Japanese film with strong characters, an interesting story, and plenty of raw emotion.  For more information, check out our review!

Anime: Okko's Inn (Netflix)
Okko's Inn is a beautiful, charming anime with bright, colorful animation, an interesting ensemble of characters, and good life lessons.  For more information, check out our review!

Serious Suspenseful Horror: The Lodge (Hulu)
The Lodge is a suspenseful masterpiece, whose visuals, sounds, and story will keep you on edge from start to finish.  For more information, check out our review!

Dark Comedy: Ready or Not (HBO)
Ready or Not tells a twisted tale with plenty of dark humor.  The setting is fantastic, the imagery feels authentic, and the performances give this deadly game a unique charm that will make you want to play again.  For more information, check out our review!

Review: Okko's Inn

Release date: September 21, 2018
Running time: 94 minutes
Starring: Seiran Kobayashi, Nana Mizuki, Satsumi Matsuda 

Okko is a young girl who tragically loses both of her parents to a car accident.  However, she miraculously survives unscathed and goes to live with her grandmother who runs a traditional Japanese hot spring inn.  Determined to do all she can to help her old grandmother, Okko takes on the role of junior innkeeper and begins to assist wherever she can including cleaning, cooking, and even finding new tenants.  However, she also finds out that she can see ghosts in the inn, which leads to all sorts of antics as she adjusts to her new life.

First and foremost, Okko's Inn is beautifully animated.  The animation is bright, colorful, and smooth with a nice cartoonish look to all the characters.  The inn itself is beautifully drawn, as are Okko and the various ghosts and spirits that she is able to see.  The nature scenes are likewise just wonderful to see. And the story of Okko's Inn teaches a lot of good lessons, from forgiveness to how to handle bullying to not judging people based on looks alone.  These are some great lessons to teach kids and I am glad that this movie allows that.  And the characters that you meet to teach these lessons are fun and very different.  The movie features a variety of individuals, from family to guests to ghosts and spirits, keeping the story interesting.

However, the story of Okko's Inn starts with a horrible tragedy; but it doesn't seem like Okko emotionally deals with this.  It comes up here and there, but for the most part she puts on a smile and optimistic face.  This is part of her character, but it also feels unrealistic given what just happened to her.  And although there are good lessons taught, the story itself progresses relatively slow and with no urgency.  Part of this might be by design but it just didn't feel like much happened in this movie.  I loved the animation and seeing the world, but I also would have liked the story to have a little more gravity and emotional growth for her.  

Okko's Inn is a beautiful, charming anime with bright, colorful animation, an interesting ensemble of characters, and good life lessons.  

Rent it.